[ 18 ] sender comes to receiver with a problem they have had before, but has been previously shoddily cared for.
"It might have to come out," says Tikoh, putting her tools down.
Below her on the exam chair, Lich scowls. "What? Check again, doc."
"I already have. It's a... a very large cavity. I can put a crown on it, but if it doesn't help we'll likely have to remove it," she says, turning away. "A crown is like a cap they put on top of the tooth. Though I can't say I've ever done one shaped like this..."
Lich sits up, her eyes twitching towards the door. "H-hold on, the last time I had these looked at, the guy just said I had to brush them. And I do!"
"It's supposed to be twice per day."
Tikoh writes a few notes in her log while Lich ponders, and the primal beast finally sighs.
"Guess he was just so entranced by working on a cute girl that it slipped his mind!" she says. "I'm sure it's fine, I bet the Astrals built something in that'll make it grow back or something."
"I can pull it if you like," says Tikoh, nodding. "In fact, I'm kind of curious how-"
"H-hold on, I'm not gonna be your guinea pig!"
"This isn't an experiment, I've removed teeth before," says Tikoh, frowning. "Just not on a primal beast. But I'm sure we can sedate you so you won't feel a thing-"
"Ooh, you wanna get me vulnerable so you can operate on me, huh doc? That how you get your kicks?" says Lich, She grins, but a droplet of sweat trickles down her temple.
Tikoh sighs, leaning over her. "I'm a doctor, and I take that very seriously," she says. "I don't do unethical things to my patients."
"You sure? I see you looking at the captain sometimes," says Lich, her eyes flicking towards the door. "Is that ethical? Playing doctor with the boss of the crew? Your boss?"
"Th-that's all strictly professional," says Tikoh, her ears flicking. "I'm just taking care of them. We're just... friends."
"Hey, no shame in it. The captain's a real catch. Can't blame you for being interested. You've got a lot of competition, though."
"And what about you? I see you lurking around sometimes. Don't even get me started on White Day."
Lich waves her hand, her sleeve flopping in the air. "No, that's different. They're still young, so they're shy, you know? Obviously with someone like me, they'd be scared to approach. Because I'm so beautiful."
Tikoh rolls her eyes. "Right, that's why."
"Look, I'm older than you, okay? By a lot, so I have a lot more experience with this kind of thing. I mean, have you ever even-"
Lich stops short as she realizes how groggy she feels. Her eyes snap to Tikoh, sweat beading down her forehead. "Hey, w-wait. What did you do to me?"
"Oh, just a sedative spell," she says, shrugging. "Figured we could just do the procedure now. Since obviously you don't have anything better to do."
Lich's eyes begin to flutter, but she finds her body isn't quite responsive to her efforts. "C-c'mon, is this for teasing you? Don't be like that, I was kidding!"
Tikoh leans in, smiling softly. "Well, dental health is no joke. We can keep talking after the procedure, alright? Now, I'm going to count backwards from ten. Ten..."
"I'm telling the captain! That you're doing weird shit to me!"
"I'm... I'm telling... the..."
Lich's eyelids flutter close. The last thing she sees before she passes out is Tikoh's smiling face looming above her. No more doctor's visits, she decides.