The Untold Story of Texas and Lappland (Arknights)

Doctor's Decision

The door shut with a loud clang. It was one of the few times it had been manually closed that the Doctor could remember. Dust motes danced in the shaft of sunlight spilling in from the window. Quickly shuffling to the desk, wary eyes were kept on the other Doctor in the room. Sinking into the chair behind the lone desk in the room was like putting up a wooden shield. But it would be foolish to believe this fixture would protect from the threatening force in the room.

Kal'tsit's face still seemed to be twitching with the same mask of cold hard fury it held when they first walked into the Trading Post. The frown was deep, barely concealing the emotion within those green eyes.

"I know what you're going to say . . ."

"Do you? Do you really know?"

Doctor shrugged. Kal'tsit was often the hardest to read. No matter how many times, observation failed to reveal a set behavior. Sometimes she would be kind, helpful and considerate. Those times were rare, but they did exist. And other times she was closed off and impatient. The Doctor preferred the latter behavior, but it was hard to get the results if they couldn't determine what caused it in the first place.

"I think I do. You're mad because Texas and Lappland ruined the Trading Post."

Kal'tsit snorted. "Yes, but it's more than that. Why did you put them together in the first place?"

This unjust anger made another temper begin to rise. The two doctors were like boiling kettles, causing the overall temperature in the room to elevate like boiling blood. "I did so because you told me to, remember?"

That seemed to take Kal'tsit aback. For a brief moment, she recognized the mistake and acknowledged her part in causing the disaster they'd just witnessed. But then it was gone between one breath and the next. If Doctor blinked, the gesture would have been missed entirely.

"It doesn't matter what I say. You're the one who has the say in these things. They are YOUR operators after all."

Fists were clenched as eyes narrowed. "Just because I command them in battle doesn't mean they do everything I say. They are their own people, perfectly capable of making their own decisions in case you forgot."

"Oh I didn't forget. But you are responsible for them."

Doctor didn't know how to feel. There was a pressing desire to scream at the world that had done so much wrong. Memories were like pieces of broken glass, they fell around in their cascading pile into a pit of inescapable nothingness. No matter how hard the Doctor tried, the past continued to be evasive as ever. However now someone from said past was front and center, continuing to cause problems with no apparent answer. The Doctor wanted to be mad at her. Kal'tsit's actions were worthy of anger; however, there was no telling where they really stemmed from. There was more to the story, and yet it was impossible to tell what that might be without asking head on. And I've asked before with no success.

And so the Doctor would be left in the insufferable darkness surrounded by broken pieces.

"I know I am Kal'tsit. And I did have a terrible feeling this might happen and I told you as much."

Green eyes narrowed further. "What are you getting at?"

Doctor took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "What I'm saying is you didn't listen to me. I tell you things and I try to do what you ask but you never acknowledge my efforts. Even worse, you get onto me for things when it's out of my control. I don't know if you realized this but, I don't remember what happened in the past. I'm not whoever that person was before. I'm different now and you need to accept it."

It was a harsh thing to say, something easily pushed back in order to forget. The truth could be painful. But this is necessary. She needs to understand. The barrier between them needed to come down, especially if they wanted to avoid these incidents in the future.

"I . . ." The frown was gone. It was replaced by an unknown expression Doctor immediately felt bad for causing. For a brief second, the Doctor understood and was familiar with Kal'tsit, able to sense the connection they shared left unannounced. "Understood. I will take into account your current state more often before making judgement."

The words lacked any flavor of emotion, no matter how much feeling was present in those drooping ears and the way a fluffy tail curled around Kal'tsit's left leg. The gesture seemed to hold the storm at bay.

"Thank you."

""Speaking of judgement, what do you plan to do with them?"

She gestured to the doors. Amiya was likely already lecturing the Lupos. The bunny had certainly been angry enough when she first sighted the destruction. The yells and shouts had left ear drums sore and patience strained. And, then there was the two Lupos responsible for its all. The Doctor remembered their expressions, the shock in those bicolored eyes. It would be easy to place the blame on only one of them, to kick the white wolf out the door. But Lappland isn't the only one to blame is she. Texas had seemed equally flustered, red-faced with what the Doctor thought to be shame. An outburst of fighting had happened. The dark haired Lupus clearly hadn't meant to cause trouble. But look what happened. Something would have to be done, whether the Doctor liked it or not.

Hands folded together, the Doctor replied. "Well, I don't think we should do anything too rash but . . ."

Kal'tsit tilted her head. "You fear the situation might call for it."

"Yes, I do." The Doctor sighed. An idea kindled in the back of their mind, sparking like a fresh flame. It was impossible to see into the future despite all the many powers in this world. Even so, the Doctor had to believe the choices made here would be for the betterment of the world. It was with this in mind that the next words were uttered in a succinct voice. "Call them in."