throw the careful into the crazy

I will not be brave, but I'm grateful to get through

Gone just like any dog whose attention has been properly stolen, the shepherd streaks through the crowd, nimbly dodging and weaving between legs and around wagons. Despite his keen sense of smell, Everest has never tried to hone his abilities, such that what should have been an easy feat left the shepherd panting several blocks away. Realizing what he'd done only when someone yelled at him to "fuck off outta the road", the dog curled its tail between its legs and slunk back toward the clinic.

Smelling the water, Everest helps himself to the bowl, draining it before trotting into the clinic and offering Isla a rather sheepish wag of his tail. Not wanting to jump onto the furniture as a dog, as the aviator shifted back into his own body, he found himself awkwardly sitting on the floor and had to fumble quickly to keep himself properly covered.

"Sorry, I..." Wiping at the water dripping down his chin, Everest swallows hard, blushing furiously as he looks up at Isla.

Isla

Having been halfway through a file as the dog comes trotting back into the clinic - and then promptly becomes a man again - Isla marks the place where she'd been writing to regard him with a kind smile. "No need to apologise," she says. "Though I have to say I've never seen you move that quickly before." With a good-natured laugh, she glances out through the door and sighs. "No luck getting your clothes back, though?"

Closing the file, she considers for a moment and squints out at the distant sea, as if trying to remember where she'd last seen a colourful little houseboat bobbing around. "I can see if I can lend some clothes from Remi, if you like?" she offers. "You're about the same height. Either that or I suppose you could just stay shifted if that's easier for you." She leaves the offer open for him.

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

I will not be brave, but I'm grateful to get through

"No, I..." Frowning, Everest looks down into his lap, tugging at the thin fabric. "..I'm not very myself when I'm shifted, so I find it quite difficult." He admits, before shaking his head. "No. I realized I don't actually know what I smell like, and given my clothes were wet by the time I'd have worked it out, they'd have been even farther away."

Following her eyes but not able to connect the dots, Everest nevertheless shook his head before standing and smoothing down the gown (he could see why women (and Mateo) wore dresses in the summer). "No, that's quite alright. I can fly back. I don't want to inconvenience you any more than I already have.

Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Any filing, or labeling, or..."

Isla

"I understand," Isla says, and for the first time she really does. "Instincts are powerful things. I'm sorry about your clothes - I hope at least you'll be able to replace them easily." Not with any borrowed garments though, as it turns out, and Isla doesn't push the matter as Ever rises to his feet. "Fly? How many shifts do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ordinarily she'd have brushed off the offer to make it up to her - she doesn't believe there's anything to make up for, after all - but this is Everest Hart, and the medic is starting to understand him in bits and pieces, she thinks. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind filing these when I'm finished updating them, that would be very helpful," she says, patting the pile of files beside her. "There's a shelf in my office back there where you can put them away."

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

I will not be brave, but I'm grateful to get through

"That's alright. I have more." Unlike certain people (Mateo), Ever picked his clothes entirely based on their usefulness, and given that it wasn't winter and so he wasn't wearing the scarf his friend had given him, had no reason to think what he'd lost wasn't easily replaceable. "Oh, three. At least there, anyway. There's a new one developing I think." Running his hand against the back of his neck, Everest frowned slightly before giving his head a little shake in an effort to snap himself out of his own musings.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that he could make up what he felt he owed Isla, the aviator brightened instantly as he took to his task. "I would be happy to." Already having to remind himself not to reorganize Isla's files (neither he nor his father could understand why this bothered people, but they'd both learned that it did), the aviator was pleasantly surprised to find Isla's files were already in exactly the sort of order he'd have placed them in. Marvelling silently at that, Everest did exactly as instructed, before politely excusing himself so as not to overstay his welcome.

~FIN