Logs:Quiet Morning

Quiet Morning
Dramatis Personae Flicker, Iolaus
In Absentia	2019-02-09 "It's like nothing else I've ever done."
Location Mendel Clinic, Lower East Side
With its sharp crystalline edges and sleek lines knifing up into the sky, this building is one of the most distinctive new additions to the neighborhood. An angular structure in glass and steel, the tall tower has a deceptively slender look to it that is belied by the heavy security as soon as you enter the doors. The front doors are frosted with the Clinic's logo -- a rising sun over a rod of Asclepius -- a motif echoed in many places throughout the building. Visitors to the clinic must first pass through a small mantrap, guarded by some of the Clinic's security guards; once they make it through the metal detector and airlock's double doors they emerge into the much more hospitable lobby. With dark wood floors underneath and comfortable black and red couches at its edges, the high windows give the room an airy feel. A bank of elevators to one side carry visitors to the many destination floors, while the wide welcome desk at the other side is manned by a security guard ready to help point visitors in the right direction. The clinic will no doubt be bustling soon enough. Saturdays are a popular time for everyone whose obligations keep them from making weekday appointments and the limited amount of walk-in hours are generally packed past capacity. It's quiet just now, though, front doors still locked for a brief peace that is soon to be broken. Flicker is taking advantage of the downtime, laptop open at the front desk and a book heavily marked with sticky post-it tabs -- Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases -- currently closed by his elbow. His black and red guard uniform is crisp, and the segmented tentacle-like prosthetic arm he wears matches its color scheme, matte black with metallic red geometric designs wrapped over it. The elevator bell dings, and Iolaus sweeps out of the elevator backwards, his conversation suddenly audible as the metal doors slide open. "It's justified, Jane," Iolaus says, in a tone equal parts harassed and amused. "I promise, I'll wait on this side of the front security gate, but I'm trying to downplay the amount of threat that there is. Seeing me with a bodyguard in my own office isn't exactly what I had in mind as 'calming'!" The crisp white dress shirt wrinkles slightly at the elbow as the doctor gesticulates in the air, holding his hands out in front of him. "Alright? Alright. I'll see you in a couple of hours." It isn't until the doors of the elevator close that he sighs, loudly, and bangs his head lightly against the mirrored finish of the sliding metal once, twice. "{Silly, silly, silly...}" Iolaus grumbles to himself in greek. Flicker's initial glance upward is reflexive. Quick, drawn automatically to the movement by the elevators. He returns to his screen momentarily, relatively relaxed when it's just Iolaus entering the lobby. "You doing okay there?" When he speaks it's mostly prompted by the older man's head-banging. "Sometimes," Iolaus says, turning around and flashing Flicker a wry smile. "I wonder what set of bad life decisions lead me to put Jane in the position to control my life so much." There's a moment of pause as Iolaus' smile widens, stepping forward over towards Flicker's desk. "Then I remember it's because I prefer being alive over being dead, and there are few more qualified than her to make sure I stay that way. Still." The doctor winks and leans against the counter, glancing towards the lobby doors for a moment and then back down to the younger man. "How's it going, Flicker? Starting to look forward towards clinicals, or still so far buried in the books that you don't even see the end?" "She does sometimes have that effect, doesn't she, sir?" Flicker hides a smile behind his screen, but looks up again when Iolaus nears. "To be honest, I can't think that far ahead. It feels like -- a lot. Right now. I'm sure I'll be glad once I get there, though." Iolaus scratches at his chin for a second, considering. "I'd be lying if I told you that I enjoyed most of my clerking. It was nice to get out of the classroom, but I spent most of mine just doing skut work that even the residents looked down on." He shrugs his shoulders once, and then spreads his hands out in a helpless gesture. "That was back before a bunch of medical school reforms. Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and we had to walk uphill to class both ways. I'm sure it's better now. And, I was stupidly doing a research degree at the same time." He leans down and taps his finger against the textbook, once, twice. "Still, of all the books to be buried in, that looks like one of the more enjoyable ones to me." "Get -- out -- of the -- classroom?" Flicker echoes this with a widening of eyes. Quizzical head-tilt. "I'm sorry, sir, I recognize those individual words you're saying, but together they don't make a lot of sense." He glances down at the book cover. "Yeah, enjoyable if you're into -- oh." He ducks his head, a flush of pink creeping up into his cheeks. "Right." Laughing, Iolaus sticks out his tongue at the younger man for a moment, straightening back up. "What can I say? I spent too many summers helping out a professor with his infectious disease research for me to not have fallen a little bit in love with the creativity of nature to throw tiny little wrenches into our grand plans." Straightening up, Iolaus laces his fingers together and stretches them upward, a muted set of cracking noises matching the soft groan that he makes. "Occupational hazard of being a geneticist, I'm afraid," the doctor murmurs in a conspiratorial tone. "Nature does have a way of doing that." Flicker's eyes sweep the lobby. Come to rest on the Clinic logo behind the desk. "Guess that's pretty obvious here, of all places." "I wouldn't say the X-gene is a wrench," Iolaus says, giving Flicker a puzzled look for a moment before looking around the room as if the reason for his statement was written on one of the walls. "No more than the first animals crawling out of the water was, or the development of the opposable thumb." As if to explain, the doctor waggles the aforementioned thumbs in the air. "But, I agree that it probably has messed up with some people's plans." After several seconds of pause, the older man adds, "But fuck 'em." "Well. I suppose you wouldn't." There's a careful mildness to Flicker's voice. His lips twitch slightly. His eyes drop back to his keyboard, fingers tapping lightly against the keys without pressing anymore. "Some people's." His cheeks color darker at the profanity. "You have a lot on the schedule today, sir?" Shrugging his shoulders, Iolaus shakes his head and tugs a cell phone out of his pocket to shoot a glare at. "Not too much; hopefully will get out at a reasonable hour, for once. Have a new candidate for the peads team coming in this morning that I've got to try and convince to join us. Great CV, though he's been a bit... let's say 'gunshy' about signing on the dotted line." Iolaus shoots Flicker a look and shakes his head, stuffing the cell phone back where it came. "Then try and clear as much of my inbox out as I can before the day's over. How about you?" "At a place like this?" Flicker uncurls the tip of his tentacle-arm toward the heavily reinforced glass and mantrap at the front of the lobby. "I can't imagine why." He pulls in a slow breath, shakes his head. "Hard to say. I always really hope my days here will be quiet. The alternative is..." He trails off, brows knitting deeply. "A lot more reading left over for when I get home." "Not something either of us want to contemplate, I'm sure." Iolaus says, a note of tension in his voice. "Still, the kind of medicine we do here..." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Iolaus' lips curl into a bright smile. "It's like nothing else I've ever done." His eyes flick back to the guard, giving him a knowing look. "You never forget the first time you help a patient with something they didn't know could be fixed. It's something most doctors only get to experience a few times in a career, but here...." The tip of Flicker's tongue darts out briefly to wet his lips. His lip catches between his teeth, after, teeth worrying at its corner. "Well, sir." His smile isn't quite as bright -- quick, polite. "I'm glad we give you that opportunity." A quick glance at the clock behind the desk. "I should get this place open. Good luck with the inbox." Iolaus pauses for a second, mouth opening to speak, before he visibly checks himself and nods. "Of course, Flicker. Good luck with the rest of your studying, yeah? Feel free to come up and knock on my door if you have a question about anything in that textbook, yeah? I could use a break from the paperwork." He gives the guard a cautious smile, then steps back over to one of the couches and sinks into it to wait.