01: Doctor, Doctor
There was something refreshing about the fact that the doctor’s first response upon seeing him peeking out from behind his wings wasn’t panic. The man seemed to take it well in stride, just squatting in front of Andrew. “One nose too many?” he asked, frowning a little. He’d thought birds had noses - wasn’t that what the two holes in their beaks were?
Soothed a little bit by the man’s friendliness, Andrew let his wings relax a bit, revealing more of himself to the man - Dr. Griff. He shivered a little as the cool air of the room hit his skin through the paper-thin fabric of the hospital clothing he’d been given. The shirt had been cut wide open in the back to accommodate his wings, and it fell halfway down his thighs, but luckily they’d also given him a pair of trousers and slippers to complete the outfit. “Andrew Davies,” he offered up, shyly reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand.
Before he could consider the fact that they’d called a veterinarian to examine him, one of the doctors stepped into the room, adjusting his tie. “Ah, yes, Dr. Griff. I see you’ve met the patient?” Andrew shrank back into the comfort and safety of his wings - this doctor wasn’t the nicest of the team that’d been assigned to him. Unconsciously, he swayed closer to Dr. Griff, seeking out the warmth and friendliness the other male had been exuding since he walked into the room. The other doctor interrupted again, consulting a clipboard in his hands. “Have you been briefed on him yet?”
“Or one beak too few,” Griff countered, smiling as he shook Andrew’s hand. He had a soft grip, not really trying to make an impression of professionalism or competence, and didn’t put effort into the hand shake. He could have easily injured Andrew with his grip alone, but that was one of the last things on his mind, if it was there at all. “Good to meet you Andrew. Do you have a nickname you prefer? I like Griff myself -- makes me think of something you’d name a dog.” Griff chuckled at his own joke. It wasn’t even funny, and most people thought it was dumb or odd, but he didn’t mind in the least.
The doctor’s voice took his attention away from Andrew, but Griff immediately picked up on his discomfort nonetheless. He had to get the man out of here as soon as possible, and though he really didn’t want to go against protocol, Griff knew it would be easier on Andrew if he did. And though he knew the job was sometimes more important than the comfort of the patient, Griff also had a very hard time doing less than everything he could to increase other people’s comfort levels.
“Not yet, no,” he answered truthfully. “But if you don’t mind just giving me a quick summary, I can take a look over the paperwork after that and go from there. You’ve probably got more important places to be, right?” He spoke politely, genuinely, and with a smile. Griff was no expert on manipulation or getting people to do what he wanted, but he definitely knew how to imply exactly what he wanted in a way that would be impossible to mistake as rude.
