Consummation by Consumption (Prey Perspective Version)

All of it

At last, I'm done cleaning up, and now I can put that chore of an operation behind me and relax. Oh, but I'm not kidding myself. I won't be given that luxury. There's still one more appointment on my schedule before I get off for the weekend, and I'm not even sure if I can make it through another one. Pulling five teeth the size of my hand has… drained me, to say the least, but I have to push through no matter how grueling it gets.

With a heavy sigh, I begin my journey through the network of halls on my way to yet another room I need to be in, but not at an eager pace at all. I'd prefer to be relaxing at home, all bundled up and warm. Or maybe I could try and convince Claire to take some time off and we can hang out a bit early. Yeah, maybe that's just what I should do if I'm not feeling up for it. I work hard all the time. What's the harm in missing one appointment anyway? There's plenty of other qualified people here to handle it.

…On second thought, no, I am the only one to handle it. It is right before six on a Friday, and if I remember right, it's been three weeks since last time. That means my favorite patient is here. Mina Keller, though we're on a first-name basis now, is back again for her regular visit. It's strange for a dentist of all people to have a returning visitor like her, but she's always been booked with me every few weeks for, at this point, years. I don't know why she comes back so often, but I know I don't want her to stop, because she makes my day every single time.

Mina was fairly straightforward with her first few visits, but she's really opened up and gotten friendly with me since then. I think that amity she has about her is one of the reasons my mind keeps wandering back to her. It's a lovely trait to have, especially with someone of her lofty height. Those traits together make me feel protected, like I can really be vulnerable and express myself around her. And even if she doesn't know it, I think she's beautiful in quite a few regards. Things like her orderly mouth that I've been given the honor to familiarize myself with, her drapes of red hair that'd just make such a silky, smooth blanket, and her most certainly soft bosom that-… No, I can't be fantasizing now. I have work to do, and I think I'm already late. I don't want to hold her up too much longer.

Looking farther down the hall, I spot the room where I'm needed a few doors down. I think it's the right one, at least. I don't know, don't carry a clipboard, even though I really should. In any case, I promptly begin rushing over, barely keeping my headlamp in place along the way. With how big some of the rooms are, it's quite a distance between them for someone my size, but I get this sort of exercise every day. When I do get to my destination, I hardly even need to take a breather before swinging open the door.

It's always an amazing sight, the contrast between the halls and the humongous rooms like this one. But my attention is caught by the even more amazing sight of Mina's familiar face, right on level with my elevated position on the balcony. That alone is enough to force a smile on me as I fix my clothes that were loosened in my haste. With that, I'm looking presentable and am ready to start things off properly.
“Ah, it's you again! Sorry for the wait, that last patient took a lot of work.”

Making my way further into the room and approaching my array of tools on a table, I watch Mina closely as I wait for her to say something. But then, she just… doesn't. For some reason I'm not privy to, we're entirely fixated on one another. It's strange, but at the same time, it makes me feel close, how we can simply share a moment like this. Though it is only a moment, cut off short when she breaks her focus on me and speaks up.
“Really? Then you should relax a bit after that hard work. Do you think I could help with that?”

Taking a moment to look over my drills, picks, and whatnot out of habit, I can't help but chuckle to myself from the warm feeling Mina's words gave me. She knows exactly the favor she does for me: making my life easy again after all these hours of work. Oftentimes, it feels like that's why she comes here, rather than to have clean teeth. I'd like to know if that's the case, but there's no way I could just ask. So, looking up from the table and back to her, I try to take my shot in a less obvious way.
“Yeah, I think you'll help my shift end on a good note. You're always such an easy job, so much so that it doesn't make sense for you to visit this often. Either you really care about your oral health, or you just like being around me.”