samaqi: Kiddo has been throwing up—evil mushrooms from the Asian market! I swear I'll remember not to feed kiddo mushrooms again. They looked fresh, but you never know :(( . Well, kiddo is sleeping again (poor little one), but it's 4 AM and I can't sleep anymore. How about some fic while my spouse does the laundry?

I love my family! : heart :

Trepie #12 and Keannu spend the next half hour advising me on how to text Dr. Yue the basic information: "Hey, I'm here in Deling, ready to take you on a hike." They ramble on about some camping sites they've been to, telling me which ones have the right setup, in their opinion. From their seemingly coded terms that I'd rather not delve into, I realize that people in Deling city seem much more open about gender stuff compared to our reserved Balambians.

"Guys! Just…" I close my eyes forcefully. "Take it slow, okay? She seems to be a traditional gal, too. Please don't throw us any surprises. A group-friendly campsite, that's all I ask for."

They each nominate two options. After thoroughly reading their reviews, I pick two out of four based on their geolocation for the best moon-gazing experience and amenities with ramps for people with disabilities. Keannu, the opportunist, suggests I choose places with stairs so I can offer her a piggyback ride. I ask, "What is wrong with you?" and "How do you manage to get a girlfriend?" to which he replies, "Asks the one who's never had a date."

Fair. Burned.

After making sure I send the long text, 90% of which is composed by Keannu, Trepie #12 ends the phone call. It's only then that I realize we have talked for more than two hours. Luckily, SeeD benefits include an unlimited phone plan, which will come in handy since Dr. Yue and I will likely have a long-distance relationship.

That is, if we have a relationship to begin with. Keanu and I wait and wait, but Dr. Yue doesn't text back.

"Look what you've done!" I wash my face dry with my hands. "I could have just asked if she's free this weekend. She would have answered by now. Giving her staycation options might scare her. What if she expected just a day trip? My Hyne! She must mean just a within-a-day trip. I go from 'I don't like you' to 'here are a few cozy places we can stay overnight.' Why? Why did you two force me to send that aggressive message? Hyne, I want to chop off my hand for sending that text!"

"Dude, relax. It's only been half an hour; maybe she's taking a shower," Keanu says. "Women do that all the time. They don't want to reply immediately because it makes them look cheap. Trust me!"

Ding! Ding!

I don't have time to glance at my phone before it ends up in Keannu's hands. He seems to have developed some quick reflexes with this texting game.

"Hey! Get it back! Does privacy mean anything to you?" I yell.

"Oh…" Keanu gets serious.

"What?" I brace myself for bad news.

"It's General Trepe," he says, handing me back the phone. "Pumpkin is sick…"

Ten minutes later, I arrive at Quistis's place. Pumpkin has thrown up three times, and Laluna is also sick, so my former instructor couldn't take him to the vet. However, she has already booked an emergency spot at a vet hospital.

I look at the address of the vet hospital. Unsurprisingly, it is Dr. Yue's. Her hospital usually serves the most important people in Deling.

Pumpkin looks pale but seems delighted to see me. Quistis and I take turns caring for him because he needs to rest between missions. The battles from the Third Sorceress War were too heavy even for a Great Moomba. Actually, he's no longer "Great." Shumi's evolution is strange, but more on that later.

I help my big boy into the back seat of my car and strap him in with the seatbelts to keep him lay down stably. He dozes off in an instant. It's not far to the hospital, and he's still sleeping when I arrive. Once again, I carry my big boy in my arms. My heart pounds, and I hold my breath as the clerk looks up the doctor who will be in charge of Pumpkin tonight.

"Room 201, please. Dr. Jia will be there in a second."

Good. I won't have to see the girl who silently rejects me by not replying to my text after more than an hour.

I place Pumpkin on the cozy bed inside the VIP emergency room.

"Luluna," he murmurs as he opens his eyes lazily.

"It's Raddie here. Don't worry," I say, stroking his orange fur. "The doctor will be here soon."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

One long knock, followed by two short ones.

Dr. Jia, my ass. It's her.

That clerk is a jerk. I want to file a complaint, but then it strikes me that I read her profile months ago and forget that her full name is…

"Hi! It's Dr. Jia Ming Yue. May I come in?"