NOVEL NEXT Ch 19: When the cute bunnygirl doctor asks you to take your clothes off, it’s strictly professional, right?
Edelin was already walking off with a notebook, leaving my party of two a little confused. “Follow her, I guess,” Kalia said, though she didn’t look too sure of herself. Still, I didn’t really have a reason not to trust the monk, so I stood up and hurried after her, catching up right as she reached a door on the far side of the room.
The rotted door opened into another stone room, one that looked at least a little better kept. There was natural light at least, coming from narrow slits at the top of the walls, and though the hard floors were still cold on the bare parts of my feet they weren’t as dusty at least, though I’m sure I was well beyond the point of that mattering. I wonder if we can afford some shoes?
“I’ll demonstrate for you. This’d normally be priced since it’s technically a practical service, but I’ll log it as informational since that’s the real reason you came. You were only hurt on your arms and chest, right?” Edelin asked as she shut the door.
“Huh? Oh, I mean, yes?” I didn’t remember telling her that though, and hurt wasn’t the right word really. There hadn’t been any pain, and there weren’t visible marks either.
“Go ahead and take of your gloves and shirt then,” she said, walking over to a small desk and picking up a basket. “You can place them in here and hop up on here.” She placed the basket on a stone counter in the center of the room, the same place she apparently wanted me to sit, and then went back to the desk to open her notebook, writing down in it like she hadn’t just said the most absurd thing in the world.
“Wait, why am I taking my clothes off for you?” I asked, clutching my collar.
She stopped writing, shaking ink off her quill and then setting it down before turning back to the door. “I’m sorry, I should have asked first. I’ll get someone that isn’t Lepyn to do it.” While I was still stunned, she started walking towards the door.
“No, I mean, wait!” She stopped, looking back to me with a blank stare, but with eyes watering ever so slightly. “I just, uhm, I don’t know what a Lepyn is, but I just don’t know why I’m taking off my clothes?” It wasn’t exactly a question, but I didn’t know how to phrase it.
“It’s, uhm, me?” she said. “You’re Felyn, I’m Lepyn. And I get it, especially after what you went through. I wouldn’t want to be treated by me either.”
“No! I don’t— treated? You’re fine, but I thought we were working on my skill?”
“Oh, we are. I’m going to show you how to use it. I have a similar one, but my skill is a healing one, so I’ll have to show you through that.”
“Okay…” Things were starting to come together, somewhat. “And my shirt?”
“I need direct contact. It’s the same reason you have fingerless gloves and no shoes, right?”
“Oh, right.” Should I have known that already?
“I’ll get back to logging,” she said, taking a cautious walk by to the desk before opening her journal again.
“And I’ll… take my clothes off,” I said, starting with the wrist guards. I noticed they were a little scratched up, which saddened me a little, but that was their purpose, right? Armor wasn’t meant to be pristine forever, after all. They went into the basket, the gloves following suit.
I glanced back at Edelin, seeing her writing away. She was some sort of doctor too, I guessed? I suppose it made sense that she was sort of nonchalant about me taking my clothes off then. Elash had been as well, before I gave permission to be otherwise. Still, being naked around girls, pretty girls especially, that was new to me. It hadn’t ever really felt right being naked around anyone, and while I certainly preferred it in this body, it was still something I was getting used to.
She’s just being professional, I told myself as I undid the decorative knot and elaborate bow Elash had tied for me. It was going to be a pain to get those back on, I realized. They were off though, a problem for future Mai, and with nothing holding the vest together it came off with no effort at all. I took a second to fold them up before placing them in the basket, to try and show a little respect to Elash’s work.
“Just sit on the table?” I asked, staring at it. “Table” was a generous word, since it was really just a stone slab.
“Lay down on it, actually.”
That seemed like not the best idea, but I followed directions anyway, letting out a small gasp as I did. I was right, it wasn’t a great idea, because like the floors, the stone surface was cold as hell, and my bare back lying against it was piercingly so.
I heard her close the book and saw her purple head turning my way out of the corner of my eye, so instinctually covered my chest. Edelin raised and eyebrow at that as she walked over and pushed up her sleeves. “I need your arms, and your chest,” she said.
“Right,” I responded, sheepishly pulling my arms away, feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions. I was a little turned on by being in such a situation for the second time in one day, but not that turned on. Still, my nipples were hard from the cold, and that made it seem like I was more turned on than I really was, and that made me embarrassed, and being embarrassed always made me a little turned on at least, and so… “I’m just a little nervous being, well, half-naked I guess.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that though, right? We’re both girls after all,” she said, lifting my arm up and examining it with far more rigor than seemed necessary.
And I guessed she was right. I was sort of prewired to be skittish about being undressed around girls, but it was just a normal thing now, should be a normal thing, especially for being around a doctor, or a tailor. Not every girl was interested in other girl’s like that, after all.
“Still,” she continued as she set my arm down and picked up the other, “I don’t really get why that’s the case. The elder monks tell me it’s okay for me to be around undressed girls, but not undressed guys. It’s not like I’d want to be around undressed men anyway though.”
“What?” I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but there are some times in life when you’re just so confused that a single thought sort of slips out.
“Girls are prettier. I mean, a lot prettier,” she said, placing my arm down and then staring directly down at my chest. “Huh, you’re flushed. Do you have a fever?” she added, placing a hand on my forehead.
“I don’t think so…”
“Yeah, you don’t,” she said, taking a step back and grabbing her chin while staring back at my chest again. “But you’re still growing red. Is that normal for you?”
“Uhm, yes, I think?”
“Strange. I’m going to write that down really quickly, so I don’t forget.”
I covered myself as she walked away again, trying to reconcile what just happened in my mind. She’d been professional for the most part, but then that part about girls being prettier, what was that about? Wait, is she gay and just really oblivious?
“Arms aside, please,” she said. I complied, even though it was even harder now. I’d reconciled that she wasn’t interested, that it was okay because of that, but now?
“We’ll start with the chest first. It’ll be easier for you to feel it that way.”