There was a loud thumping noise that woke Nick suddenly from the dream he’d been having. He sat up groggily from the makeshift, but surprisingly comfortable bed he slept in.

“Come in.” He yelled, before yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

There was a loud scraping noise and a flood of light invaded his little apartment. When his vision adjusted to the new level of illumination he looked up to the familiar sight of a redheaded giantess looking in on him, an angelic smile on her pretty face.

“Good morning Nick!” She whispered down on him. “Are you ready for another day at the clinic?”

Nick grinned and nodded. “Dr. Kezwic’s going to be scarce at the office today?”

“That’s the rumor.” Brinn replied “So I figure today’s a good day for you to get some practice in. Even if it’s just watching me work on the larger animals, at least you’ll be able to do it openly and not have to be hiding in my pocket.”

“Okay. Just let me get dressed.”

Brinn lowered the roof of his box apartment and Nick quickly threw on a set of the human sized clothes Brinn had gotten him days ago. Almost as soon as he finished the roof on his room opened again and Brinn lowered a hand, palm up, for him to climb into.

“Ready to go?” She asked.

“Yup!”

After having a quick bite of breakfast, they left the house and walked to the clinic where Brinn worked.

Brinn arrived at the clinic with Nick stowed away in the pocket of her lab coat. He could hear her greet the receptionist and ask about the days’ appointments. After a few more moments of idle chat, Brinn was on the move again as she walkd back into the examination room.

“So what’s on the docket today?” Nick asked as he was removed from her pocket and set on the table in front of where Brinn was sitting.

“Pretty light load today.” Brinn replied, looking over the schedule on her pad. “But, ooh look. Someone’s bringing in a Jexer. That’s just your speed sweetie.”

“Sounds good.” Nick grinned. Jexers were fat lizards roughly the size of a dairy cow. To Titans, they were small easily manageable pets suitable for young children. They had docile temperaments and only had to be fed about once a week, although they ate quite a bit when that time rolled around. Nick was starting to think of himself an expert in their care.

“Hmm.” Brinn continued to look through their scheduled appointments. “Couple Keiflars, a shaar –well, there’s no way I’m letting you anywhere near that! No humans today, I guess.”

Just then, the receptionist sent back word that their first appointment had arrived. Brinn raised Nick up to her shoulder and went to greet their first patient.

Nick watched from his perch on Brinn’s shoulder as she administered vaccinations to what looked like a zebra striped rabbit the size of a minivan.

Of course, the whole time the owner of the rabbit-animal couldn’t seem to take her hazel eyes off of him.

“So who’s this, the clinic’s mascot?” She cooed reaching out to gently stroke Nick’s hair.

“Um, he’s sort of my assistant.” Brinn replied, twisting her shoulder so Nick was out of the woman’s reach, ostensibly so she could bend down and look into the ear of the creature she was examining.

“Aw, that’s cute.” The customer replied, smiling brightly. “I bet he’s a big help.”

Brinn smiled. “Yeah, he really is.”

Their next appointment was the shaar, who was in for a round of vaccinations. Nick had heard a lot about these animals but hadn’t had a chance to see one yet. He watched the proceedings with interest from the safety of the high shelf where Brinn had stashed him to keep him away from the large predatory animal.

He’d assumed, based on descriptions, that the shaar was the Archavian equivalent to a cat. That description wasn’t too far off, as it turned out. The animal’s head was definitely feline, although the ears were a bit rounder than a cat’s were. The eyes were a sapphire blue that almost seemed to glow, and the pupils were slit like a cats, but horizontally instead of vertical. The fur was short, almost to the point of being hairless and this particular specimen had a pattern of brown and auburn stripes.

Its body was elongated, more like a ferret or a weasel. The final touch on the animal’s body was a long tail. The tail was almost as long as the rest of the body combined, thin and made from tough muscle. It wasn’t unheard of, so Nick had read, for the Shaar to use that tail like a bullwhip and stun its prey. On each of its paws were five retractable claws and it also possessed a mouth full of sharp teeth that could also retract like those of a viper.

Nick was, on reflection, perfectly happy to observe this appointment from the safety of the shelf, high above the terrifying predatory animal.

The shaar hissed impudently as Brinn and the owner held her down. They had clipped a weight onto the end of her tail to stop her from thrashing it about and possibly injuring one of them.

“Hang on sweetie.” Brinn cooed to the creature as she readied the injection device. “Almost done… and… THERE!”

She stood up again and stroked the back on the animal’s head. As if someone had flipped a switch, the creature was now purring happily and licking the finger of her master.

“Whew.” Brinn sighed, “All set.”

“Thanks doc.” The owner replied with a grin, gathering her pet into her arms and then loading the animal into a carrying cage.

“No problem Killia. We’ll see you in four months for a booster shot, okay?”

The door to the examination room shut and Brinn lifted Nick down from the shelf.

“Well that went much better than I expected.” She picked up her pad and scrolled down to the schedule to see what was next on their docket.

“Yeah. It’s too bad they’re so dangerous to humans, they’re very pretty animals.” Nick replied, sitting back in her palm.

“Well, you just keep admiring them from afar. Okay?”

The door to the exam room suddenly opened and a blonde middle-aged Titaness in a white lab coat entered.

Instinctively, Brinn’s fingers closed around Nick protectively.

“Good afternoon Brinn.” Dr. Kezwic greeted in a bored tone. “How are we doing today?”

“Dr. Kezwic!” Brinn did her best to keep the guilty tone out of her voice. “I thought today was your day off?”

“Half day, sweetie.” Kezwic responded mildly, digging through a drawer and putting a stylus in her pocket. “Now, what’s next on the…” The doctor’s sentence stopped short as she noticed the human crouched in Brinn’s palm.

Her eyes narrowed and a frown formed on her face. “Brinn, we’ve talked about you bringing your pet to work, haven’t we?”

Nick swallowed nervously as the older woman’s ice blue gaze turned in his direction.

“Yes we have, Dr. Kezwic.” Brinn responded, while being mostly able to keep the nervousness out of her voice. “But I really think you haven’t given the idea the thought it deserves.”

“It doesn’t deserve any thought whatsoever.” Kezwic snapped. “I will not have animals practicing veterinary medicine on each other. The very idea of it is ludicrous!”

“But-”

“No, Brinn.” Kezwic’s blue eyes blazed. “You’ve taught your human to repeat back a few facts. It’s a cute trick, but it’s hardly real knowledge, which is not something humans are really capable of. Now put that creature in a cage like he properly should be and then forget this whole business!”

Brinn looked down at the little human in her hand. She bit her lip, unsure what to do.

“It’s okay Brinn.” Nick assured her. “I’ll go into the cage. I don’t want you getting into trouble on my account.”

“Well, thank goodness one of you has sense.” Kezwic snapped nastily. She grabbed a carrying crate from their supply room and slammed decisively down on the table, before walking away muttering about animals wearing clothes like real people.

Brinn hesitated for just a moment, before lowering Nick into the container with a sigh.

She gently set him inside and caressed him, giving him an apologetic smile through the door of the cage.

Nick winked at her and kissed the tip of her finger as she withdrew her hand. The cage was actually fairly comfortable, and there was more than enough room for him inside.

Still, even the most luxurious prison is still just that.

Once Brinn stood back up, Dr. Kezwic slammed the door to the cage shut and stashed it on the top shelf.

“There.” She muttered. “Now that we’ve taken care of this foolishness, maybe we can get back to work, yes?”

“Yes Dr. Kezwic.” Brinn intoned miserably.

Nick watched, with growing boredom, as the two Titanesses carried out the day’s work. Normally, Nick was fascinated by the parade of exotic alien creatures that passed through their office, but his heart wasn’t in it. Dr. Kezwic’s attitude was extremely frustrating.

Eventually, his mind began to wander and the minutes ticked away for Nick in a blurry haze until the Jexer was brought in. Nick perked up with interest. He watched fascinated as the two veterinarians set the fat purple lizard on the examination table. After a moment the two women had diagnosed the creature’s ailment as a simple intestinal infection, which could be cleared up by a shot.

Dr. Kezwic stepped over to the cupboards underneath Nick’s cage and he watched as she prepped the serum, then stepped away to assemble the injection device.

Then, Nick happened to notice something that caused his fascination to turn into horror.

“Oh no.” Nick muttered, and then began to pound frantically on the walls of his cage. “Oh no. Brinn! Damn it! Brinn, stop her. Wait!”

Dr. Kezwic turned towards his cage with an irritated frown on her face. “I’m not going to put up with this much longer Brinn. Find a way to keep him quiet or you and I will have a problem.”

But Brinn wasn’t exactly listening; she was too focused on figuring out what had Nick worked up. She stepped over to the cage and flicked open the door. She was surprised when Nick practically threw himself into her hands.

“Brinn, you gotta stop her from giving the injection!”

The Titaness’ eyebrows knit in confusion. “Why…?”

“She’s about to give him hydracephalozyne. Look at the Jexer’s haunches Brinn. See the purple bruising?”

Brinn shook her head, but then her eyes widened as everything clicked. “Kayzil syndrome.”

Nick nodded. “Exactly. That drug is contraindicated. It could stop the heart.”

Brinn whirled around frantically. “Dr. Kezwic, wait!”

The blonde veterinarian’s head snapped up, a look of severe irritation on her face. “What Brinn?!”

“You can’t inject him with that drug. There’s a possibility this animal has Kayzil syndrome. It could kill him.”

“Oh that’s preposterous!” Kezwic snapped irritably. “There’s no indication that this drug has any negative side effects. I can’t believe you’re actually listening to… that creature!”

“But he’s right!” Brinn responded hotly. “There was new research published earlier this month. It was in the latest veterinary journals. The kind you’re supposed to be keeping up to date on …Doctor.”

Kezwic’s eyes narrowed in fury. “I will not be lectured to by some barely-weaned child fresh out of school and her obnoxious little pet! The fact that you’re even entertaining his delusion is very worrisome Brinn.”

Nick felt his blood boiling. His hands curled into fists so tight he could feel his fingernails cutting into his palm. His eyelid twitched and he felt a pressure building at the back of his head as the Doctor continued to spew her bile at Brinn.

And then everything snapped.

“JUST GOOGLE IT YOU GIANT FUCKING BITCH!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. The room fell silent and both women turned towards him, mouths agape.

“How dare…” Kezwic began. Most of the words in that sentence had not made any sense to her, but she recognized the tone.

“Save it!” Nick snapped back. “I can’t believe you! I just saved you from making a mistake that would have likely killed your patient and you can’t even have the decency to be grateful about it. If you’re so superior, Doctor, look it up. Or are you afraid I’m right?”

Kezwic’s eyes blazed again and before any of them could react, she’d slammed her fist onto the counter top, right next to where Nick had been standing.

Instinctively, Nick fell to the counter and curled into a protective ball as the force of her strike ran up his legs. His entire body trembled with primal fear.

“Dr. Kezwic!” Brinn gasped, horrified at her boss’s actions. She lunged forward and pulled the older woman away from Nick, both absolutely livid and fearful that Kezwic was going to do something even more violent to Nick.

The doctor rounded on Brinn. “I’ve had enough of this. I will not have my practice turned into a freak show or a circus. I’ve put up with a lot from you since you returned to the Capital, Brinn, but this? This is it. I want you gone! You’re terminated.”

Nick felt his heart plummet and his mouth fell open. He hadn’t intended to blow up at Kezwic… it had just happened. And now Brinn had been fired because of it.

He’d messed everything up. Brinn had been so nice to him these past few weeks, and he repaid her by getting her fired.

The human glanced up at Brinn’s face, afraid of what he’d see there, but it wasn’t what he’d expected. Instead of being shocked or devastated, there was iron hardness in her eyes and a stubborn set to her jaw. Brinn was mad and, against his expectations, she wasn’t mad at him. Her fury was directed squarely at her erstwhile employer.

“Fine.” She replied coolly. “I’ve detested working here these past few weeks anyway. But I’m not leaving until you look it up and see that he was right. I can’t leave you to risk this animal’s life because you refuse to do your job properly.”

“I’m not giving you the option!”

“If you’re so certain of yourself,” Brinn responded “Then look it up. You’ll have the proof we were wrong, and we will leave and never come back.”

Kezwic snarled and then snatched up her data pad. Her fingers flew across the screen as she typed furiously. There was a pregnant pause as she read the data that was displayed on her screen.

Then, after a moment of silence, she threw her pad down on the table and turned away from them. “Get out.”

“He was right, wasn’t he?” Brinn asked, smugly. She lowered her hand so Nick could climb into it. “Come on Nick. I can see now that coming back to this place was a huge mistake.”

“Just get out.” Kezwic repeated, refusing to respond to her question. Of course, Brinn and Nick didn’t need her to; they’d seen all the proof the needed in her expression. “I’m terminating your employment here.”

“No, I think I’d rather quit.” Brinn gathered up her belongings and raised Nick to her shoulder and the two of them left Dr. Kezwic’s veterinary office.

The furious Titaness walked down the sidewalk towards her home at a brisk pace.

“I… I’m sorry Brinn.” Nick muttered, hunching his back. “I didn’t mean to cost you your job.”

“Don’t be.” Brinn responded, a disgusted look on her face. “I was likely going to quit soon anyway. She’s become absolutely insufferable. …Then again, maybe she’s always been that way and I just never noticed before. The point, Nick, is you were correct. You had every right to stand up for yourself.”

Nick sighed. “I know. She just made me so… angry.”

Despite herself, Brinn smiled. “Nick, you’re allowed to get angry sometimes.” She lifted her hand to her shoulder and felt Nick clamber into her palm. With her other hand she reached down and gently rubbed his back with her finger. “You’re even allowed to get angry at me, if it comes to that. Okay?”

Nick cleared his throat and nodded. He understood what she was saying but knew deep down that Brinn would have to do something monumental for him to ever be angry with her.

“So what are you going to do now?” Nick asked, leaning into her touch with a contented sigh. Now that he was away from the sneers and condescension of Dr. Kezwic, he was finding it much easier to relax. If there was a silver lining in any of this, it was that he’d never have to tiptoe around Brinn’s former boss ever again.

Brinn shrugged, nonchalantly. “Pryvani hinted pretty heavily that she’d like for me to return to Avalon. Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea; we could say I was giving Zhan a house call.”

“It would be one hell of a house call.” Nick mused. “But, that would be fine by me. I wouldn’t mind seeing Sophia again.”

“I’m sure she’d like to see you too, Nick.” Brinn smirked knowingly. “So I guess I have some travel plans to put in order. I’ll have to call Pryvani right away.”

“I’m sure she has somebody who can help you make travel arrangements, Brinn.” Nick added. “Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if she owns a travel agency or something.”

Brinn giggled. “Aha! So that’s her ulterior motive. A marginal profit increase.”

Despite the fact that she’d just been fired, Brinn felt pretty good about the day’s events. Now that Nick had had his mental state sorted out, staying here on the Capital had begun to feel wrong to her. Returning to Avalon just seemed like the right course of action for both of them.

Of course, there was only one way to find out.

They walked in companionable silence for several blocks, and soon enough Nick could see Brinn’s house drawing nearer.

“By the way.” The Titaness asked as she turned and walked up the sidewalk to her house. “What exactly is a ‘google’ anyway?”