Stupid

The nurse's office of Voxx Academy didn't end up being a small office or anything. It was more of a clinic than anything. A small three story building left to its lonesome on the edge of campus. The building seemed pretty empty, with the few students nearby walking past it. Paying it no mind.

Then again this was winter break, so there probably weren't many that had a reason to visit. What idiot would get hurt over winter break. When combat classes weren't even in session.

Jay Haze. That's who.

"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door, thanking everything that the clinic wasn't closed. He looked around, empty waiting room, and spotted a girl at the front desk. Maybe a few years older, she had brown hair tied in a ponytail and glasses.

She looked up from her computer, noticed the welts and bruises over his face, and chuckled, "Oh, hi Jay. Almost didn't recognize you with the hat. Did you need the usual?"

"Uh… sure? Thank you." Jay said, nearly laughing in disbelief as she nodded and pulled out a fresh roll of bandages. She tossed it to him, "Try to use these sparingly. Remember. I can only give you a free one every week. Any extra and you have to pay."

"I'll do my best." Jay said as he put the bandages in his pocket. Seriously? She was treating him like a regular at a coffee shop. Just how much did the other guy visit last semester. It was insane.

But at least Jay now knew where the other guy bought most of his medical supplies now. Score.

"Is there anything else you need?" She asked, seemingly having had this conversation a couple times. Jay figured she might have been friends with the other guy, or at least acquaintances, so he did his best to make the conversation as short as possible.

"I actually need a splint." Jay removed his hat, since apparently it was useless, and motioned towards his limp right arm. He watched as she let out an 'oh,' before clicking a button behind her desk and motioning to the stairs. "Room 2-E. Dr. Grace is talking with a patient now so she'll be with you shortly."

"Will do. Thanks." Jay nodded, as the girl nodded back. He made his way towards the stairs, whispering under his breath, "System."

[Yes?]

"Did Jay have any friends?" He asked, cautiously glancing at the girl at the counter before walking up the steps. His brows furrowed and voice low because this was actually important. He didn't remember a lot about the story but he remembered demons.

And Vassals, or the humans that made contracts with demons in exchange for power. It was nearly impossible to tell if someone had made a contract, but more often than not they showed subtle differences in personality. More confident. Less worried. Maybe happier. Maybe meaner. It was small, but noticeable if one looked hard enough.

And Jay was worried his transformation would be way too Vassal-like to those that knew him.

"Would that girl notice that I'm different now?" He asked as he made it to the door and opened it. He heard someone talking in the room over, and assumed it was the doctor with her patient. Jay kept quiet and listened as the system answered his question.

[No. she most likely will not notice.] the system said as Jay relaxed slightly. Walking into the single room with a curtained off section next to a window, slightly opened to let the breeze in, he sat in the bed. And waited. Talking low in case someone overheard.

"Then he doesn't have any friends? He was alone."

[For the most part.] the system said, [He interacted with a few people in Voxx. The teammates he had for group projects and midterms. But he was never close with anyone. Should you meet someone that knew the old Jay, saying someone close to you died would more than likely convince them of any changes.]

"What the hell system?" Jay's lips twitched, half impressed and half annoyed. "Are you saying I'm more gloomy than he was?"

[No.] it responded. [I'm saying you're more unstable. And grief is the easiest way to justify it. Saying you suffered a head injury would also suffice.]

"I'm pretty sure I suffered multiple." Jay grumbled as the system shrugged with its tiny face, before flickering off as the door knob twisted.

Jay straightened, as a woman in a white coat, casual clothes underneath and pink slippers walked in. She had short black hair and black eyes, with a mole on her left cheek. She had her phone out, sliding it into her Jean pocket as she looked up and hummed, "Wow. You look like shit Jay. What happened?"

"The usual." Jay shrugged, deciding that the usual was probably codeword for David. His guess was spot on too, because the doctor hummed and walked over, testing arm as she said, "I heard you need a cast? Anything else I should know about."

"Will it cost money?"

"Probably not. You haven't been here in the last week."

"Then my ribs are killing me, and I have a killer headache." Jay said, watching throigh his good eyes as the doctor nodded and started getting to work. Wrapping his injuries, unwrapping his old bandages and commenting that they smelled and looked like shit. Then finally getting to the splint, where she stopped, looked him in the eyes and said.

"This is gonna hurt."

And it did. Jay was pretty sure he passed out for a second. Waking up to see her sitting at a desk to the side of the room, jotting something down.

"You're all set." She said, finishing up her notes as she shoved it in a desk for later, and sighed, "Next time try to come in sooner. You're lucky none of those are infected. They damn well should've."

"Don't worry," Jay said, testing his new cast as he grinned, "There isn't gonna be a next time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, eyes sharper than before. Jay blinked, realized what he said, and how it sounded like to someone with his medical record.

"Relax." He said, correcting the misunderstanding instantly. "I'm not gonna off myself," again went unsaid, "I'm just quitting school. So I won't be coming back here."

"You're quitting?" She said, eyes lips thinned and eyes colder than before. "Sounds awfully drastic for something so minor. It's been what? A semester? A few months."

"Yeah."

"And you're just gonna leave? After a few injuries."

"I mean, yeah. Pretty much." Jay shrugged, ignoring the woman's surprised expression as he slid his track jacket back on stood up. Stopping as the woman said, "Sit down. We're not done talking."

"Why not?" He sighed, pouting slightly as he sat back on the bed. "Something still wrong with me?"

"Yeah, you're being an imbecile." She said, leaning against the desk as she said, "Look, Jay. I've been doing this for a while, and you aren't the first to get your tail beat first semester. Hell I've had people deal with it the entire first year."

"Sounds rough."

"It is, but that's Voxx." She shrugged, "We're not training you to have a nice childhood. You need to be strong, and the strong persevere. Cowards quit."

"Guess I'm a coward."

"Maybe you are." She laughed lightly, eyes smiling as she tapped her finger on the desk, "But you don't have to be. Cowards are only afraid because they have to be. Because they're weaker than sin."

Jay watched curiously as she smiled sweetly, "But power can get rid of that fear. I might not look like it, but I used to be a pretty puny kid too. Now, I'm a high ranking hero working at Voxx of all places. If you want some tips I can always help you out."

Jay blinked as she stood up, walking closer as she reached out her freshly manicured hand. "If power is all you're lacking then I can-" her sentence was cut off as her phone started ringing. Jay watched, almost amused, as she cursed, and picked up the phone.

"What?" She snapped, someone speaking on the other side as her mood seemed to sour. "Another guest? Now? Dammit. I'll be right there."

Jay watched, curiosity peaked as she clicked her tongue and motioned, "Stay here. I'll deal with this real quick. Don't do anything." She said, turning around and leaving him alone. He looked at the door, looked at the window, and hummed.

"System, what time is it?"

[3:35 pm.]

"When does the arcade close?"

[Five if it operates by Voxx's holiday hours.] the system said. [Not a lot of stores stay open late because of the lack of people on campus.]

"Yeah, figured that was how it worked." Jay sighed as he stood up. Wincing slightly at his new cast, before adjusting to it. He glanced at the door, then back to his room, and sighed. He couldn't really wait any longer.

He had an arcade to get to.

...

It wasn't often that Sloan Grace got irritated with a patient. Most of the time the kids she dealt with were too fucking stupid to get mad at. Treat them if they needed it. Let them buy potions if they had the money. Move on with her day as usual. That was her routine.

But this one time she was angry. She had been making good progress with Jay today, and she had to be interrupted.

"What bad luck." She grumbled as she took out a lighter. She lit a cigarette and put it to her lips.

"I need to hurry."

This was annoying. Both for her and her work. If she didn't pounce on Jay's insecurities now he might leave before he could think things through. Leave Voxx after a single semester of pain, with nothing to show for it.

"What an idiot." She snorted as she walked through the empty ward. Most of the other medics were on leave for the vacation, maybe renting themselves to hero parties for some extra cash on the holidays. At times there could be five or six people on hand, since injuries in a combat school were expected. Now it was just her and her intern.

Lea Spokes. A flunky from the academy that ended up with a decent healing skill as far as mana goes. She was also promising.

Although her timing could use some work.

"Oy vay." She muttered as she made it to the waiting room. The clinic was small, only a handful of rooms and three stories. So when she opened the door she was easily able to find the new patient. It was a man with black hair and a black Yukata waiting by the front desk. Talking to her fidgety intern.

She recognized him, probably long after he noticed her arrival, and she froze.

"Ah, there she is." he said, finishing his conversation as he walked towards her. Sloan's heart hiccuped in her chest. She wanted to scream at Lea that instant. She should've mentioned he was the one waiting here! Goddamn idiot. That stupid bitch!

"Good to see the no smoking sign is just for show." He put a hand on Sloan's shoulder, waking her from her stupor as he strolled past her. Sloan blinked. Before she muttered a curse, stuffed her cigarette, and followed hurriedly, trying to recover, "Sorry sir, I was dealing with a... flighty patient."

"Odd. I figured now of all times you'd be less burdened." He said, eyes still forward as he walked towards the room she had just left.

"What was his name." He asked.

"Jay Haze," she said, pausing as he opened the door. Revealing the curtains raised over Jay's bed. She glanced at the man's gaze, narrowed and searching, before she asked. "But how did you know it was a he? I never specified the patient's gender."

"I overheard some idle conversations. About a first year coming to campus." He said, walking up to the curtain and pulling it back.

"I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

He turned back, and Sloan shivered as his snake-like eyes lingered on her. She gulped as he subtly nodded towards the empty bed and open window. Sloan would've had another cigarette if her hands weren't shaking so bad. She hated this. His eyes were like microscopes, looking for anything he found odd or out of place. Anything to catch his interest.

"But now I'm curious." He said, and she shivered. She'd have to ditch her efforts with Jay Haze. Completely. It was common knowledge that once this man found something he was interested in, it was his. No one else's. The most she could do was wait and comply with whatever he asked of her.

"Tell me," he ordered, and she knew she'd comply. He was the boss after all.

"Why don't you tell me what you two were talking about."

And he was always looking for something new to keep his attention.