With Cadmus, Isabella, and Justin

Cadmus meets with Isabella for his required Medical Exam. Justin join the two as conversation ensues.

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Cadmus walks into the Infirmary, a slip of paper held in his paws as he casts a look around. He knew he'd be having to do this sometime, but he still felt nervous about it. He gulps, coming to a halt inside the room, wondering where his soon-to-be examiner was at...

Isabella is finishing up with a patient, a laborer who's clearly suffered a nasty bruise to the leg. She's left him in the care of a nurse, who is currently setting the laborer up in the hospital area, where he can rest comfortably in a bed for awhile. Making some notes on her clipboard, she looks up at the sound of small, light footsteps to the mouse standing in the doorway. "Cadmus? What can I do for you?"

Cadmus grins sheepishly at Isabella, holding out the slip of paper; A standard form for a Medical Exam for entry into the Guard. "I, er, I need a Medical Exam done. I'm gonna be joining the Guard, I'm hoping, and they told me that you needed to administer one?" He fidgets with his now-free paws as he says this, not entirely sure what this Exam would entail.

Isabella smiles as she reads over the paper. "Right, I heard. Justin told me you'd be coming in. Hop up on the exam table, and we'll get you squared away." She attaches the form to her clipboard, getting out a fresh pencil. "Have you had any further word from your colony?"

Cadmus's ears droop a bit as he scrambles up on the table, shifting as he gets himself comfortable. "I'm...afraid not. I've been worried, yes...but our guard is used to dealing with rough conditions, they should be fine." He says, though a hint of worry hangs on these words. He eyes the pencil a moment, giving a cough before he looks back up, "So, umm, what does this exam include, anyway?"

Isabella's expression sobers as Cadmus delivers the non-news. "I'm sorry," she replies sympathetically. She can't imagine how it must feel. Putting the pencil and clipboard down, she looks back to Cadmus. "It's a standard physical. I check your heart rate, vision, that kind of thing. I ask questions about your medical history, and then we're done. Sound good?"

Cadmus nods his head at Isabella's words, becoming noticeably more relaxed. "I see, I see. Sounds simple enough." he says, cracking a small smile. "So, err, how's it going with you? Been keeping busy?" He does fidget just a little more on his seat, casting another searching glance around the room. "At least I only have to do two entrance exams, this one included."

Isabella smiles, and takes out her stethoscope. She rubs it on her smock first, to make it warm. "Breathe," she instructs, touching it to his chest. "I'm fine," she replies, giving the generic response. She's pretty sure Cadmus doesn't want to hear her real response: 'Oh, you know. Another day, another horribly mauled corpse'. Her expression darkens for a moment, as though she's troubled, but she covers it. "My son's getting bigger by the day--and he's got himself up on all fours now. Crawling's a matter of time." She nods a bit, familiar with the testing process. "Who's giving the other exam? Do you know yet?"

Cadmus furrows his brow as he looks at Isabella's suddenly dark look, though his following of her instructions prevents him from asking about it, and it passes before he can. "Ah, I see...Umm, well, they said Justin would be, said that I'd have to arrange something with him in the Gym sometime." He can't help but linger his thoughts on corpses and mutilations, though, and he gives a shiver that had nothing to do with the instrument on his chest.

Isabella listens to his heart, and moves the stethoscope again. "Oh, that's right--Justin's mentioned it, but of course it went right out of my head." She smiles a bit, the darkness gone for now. "Are you okay?" she asks as he shivers. "The stethoscope's not too cold, is it?"

Cadmus shakes his head, his shiver fading soon enough. "No, no, it's not cold..." His heart betrayed his words, however, beating a little faster than it would were he calm. "It'll be a Physical Exam, Justin's." He says after a moment, attempting to shroud his fast-beating heart, "So I'm hoping that goes well...of course, assuming this exam goes well."

Isabella nods a bit. "Okay--breathe again for me," she says gently. "Yes...they like to test out the new recruits to see what they already know. So far there's no reason why this exam shouldn't go well, so don't worry."

"We also like to see how well recruits can cope with being punted about by Brutus," Justin chimes in suddenly from the infirmary doorway. He's leaning against the doorjamb nonchalantly and watching the proceedings with the barest trace of a grin on his muzzle. "Don't worry, he hasn't broken any bones since Stammers' little 'initiation' exam."

Cadmus nods, taking another deep breath as he is told. He gives a jolt as he hears Justin's voice, head jerking over in his direction. His mouth is just slightly agape at those words. "W-what is it with the G-guard and B-Brutus?" he stammers, just at the thought of it. "Leon and Santiago said much the same thing..." He turns his head slowly back to Isabella, still a bit stammery, "Well...g-good to hear I'm doing f-fine so far."

Isabella listens to Cadmus' heartbead--it's a little fast, but still within the normal range. She moves the stethoscope to his back, and instructs him to breathe again. She looks up at the sound of her husband's voice, and beams. "Hello, love." She looks to poor, stricken Cadmus. "I don't know what Santiago's talking about--he's a behemoth himself!"

Justin hears Cadmus' stammering reply and can't help but laugh. "Calm down, Cadmus, I was just giving you the same crap we give all the newbies and the want-to-be newbies about the next stage in recruiting," he says after he's suppressed his urge to laugh sufficiently. Justin thrusts himself lightly away from the doorjam and enters the infirmary fully, a smile on his muzzle. "'lo love yourself," he replies as Isabella greets him.

Cadmus breathes in once more. calming down and eyeing Justin as he walks in. "Though, I suppose if all goes well here I'll be seeing you soon." He bites his lip suddenly, and when he next spoke, it was in a slightly subdued voice, "I er, asked them if Merick could perform this if Isabella couldn't...needless to say they got rather chilly to that name..." He shakes his head, "Actually, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that..."

Isabella chuckles a bit herself. "Don't take him too seriously, Cadmus--I never do," she cracks. Though the sight of him leaning in the doorway like that still makes her heart skip a beat. ;) Isabella listens to him breathe, then nods to herself as she puts the stethoscope away. She gets out her tongue depressor so she can take a look at his throat. As he mentions Merick, she has a hard time suppressing a shiver of her own. "Yeah...he kind of has that effect. No one's really been able to articulate why." She holds up the tongue depressor. "Open up?"

Justin's eyes narrow at the mention of Merick, and there's the faint sound of cracking knuckles as one of his paws curls itself into a fist of its own volition. "Yes, I think the less said of our dear friend Merick, the better..." he says quietly after first looking around the infirmary to see if the rat in question was within earshot. Justin falls silent after this, though, and simply watches the rest of the proceedure. "Have you asked him to turn his head and cough yet, my dear?" he teases suddenly.

Cadmus nods, there were a couple of more questions he might have wanted to ask, though he opens his muzzle wide and allowing the depressor plenty of room, stifling any further words from him. At Justin, however, he gives a look of worry...and then an rather intense blush. "Why ee I o ooo wou be sa-en at?" he says...or at least tries to.

Isabella examines the mouse's throat, apparently satisfied with what she sees. "Good..." She puts the depressor away, chuckling at Cadmus' attempt to speak. "Um...sorry, didn't catch that," she says with a grin. Looking to Justin, she raises her eyebrows. 'You okay?' she mouths to her husband.

Justin nods a little to Isabella as she asks her question. "You'll have to try that without the tongue depressor in your mouth, Cadmus, if you want anyone to understand you," he says with a chuckle.

Cadmus clears his thoat a bit, still blushing. "I said, 'Why did I know you would be saying that?'" He shifts again on the table, making sure he is still comfy. "Just, uh, if I do get into the guard... Don't station me with Brutus."

Isabella nods back to Justin, and takes out various implements, beginning to examine Cadmus' ears. "Brutus is someone you /would/ want to be stationed with, or so I've heard," she replies. "The recruits say they learn a lot from him."

"Not the least of which is how to take a punch," Justin jokes after Isabella corrects Cadmus. He can't help but chuckle at the mouse when he repeats the question he'd tried uttering with a tongue depressor in the way just a bit ago. "I apparently am getting predictable," he says, a troubled look creeping across his muzzle. "I'll have to change that...hmmm..." Justin appears to lose himself in thought as he ponders how to become less predictable.

Cadmus keeps his head still, so his ears give an affirmative flick instead of a nod. "Well, no offense to him, but he scares the hell out of me, Brutus does. Prolly has to do with being a mouse, though..." He eyes over at Justin, his brow furrowing at the look on his face. "Err, something wrong?"

Isabella nods a bit, though she's smiling. "You'd have to get to know him, but he's really a gentle giant...just not in a fight." She moves on to Cadmus' other ear. "Don't mind Justin, he looks like that when he's thinking."

"Yes, there's something wrong. We've barely interacted, and yet somehow Cadmus knows what I'm going to say before I say it. It's very distressing to think that my...my schtick has fossilized so much that someone I barely know can predict me," says Justin, now pacing as he ponders upon his 'predicament'. "And yes, Cadmus, you should very much want Brutus to be on your side in a fight. He's a very good friend--and consequently, a very, very dangerous opponent to those who threaten his friends."

Isabella takes out her clipboard, beginning to fill out the form. She cracks up at Justin's antics--of course, that's hardly unusual. "You're such a featherhead!" She throws up her paws in mock exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Keep being my wife, of course, and the mother of our unutterably cute child," Justin says matter-of-factly to his 'exasperated' wife, grinning from ear to ear. "I've got a list of suggestions for you Cadmus, if you’re curious," he pipes up, potentially cutting Isabella off before she can reply.

Isabella nearly drops her clipboard as she snickers. "THAT is the understatement of the year," she informs Cadmus. At her husband's interjection, she can't help laughing, returning his smile with interest. "You'd better hear /that/ from the source," she remarks to Cadmus, pointing at Justin, shortly before he speaks. :)

Justin shrugs a little bit. "I've found that, when it comes to testing the fighting abilities of rookiees, it helps to lay out the ground rules beforehand, to minimize pain on both sides." Justin raises a paw and begins ticking things off. "First, while dirty fighting is perfectly legal when you're fighting for your life, there will be no deliberate striking at the groin or shins. Second, no contact is to be made when aiming at your opponent's head or neck. Third, you will stop -immediately- when told to by either your opponent or myself. Fourth, protective gear is available and will be used, no exceptions. Fifth, don't bother trying to appeal any of the preceeding four rules." He gives Cadmus a look. "Simple enough, right?"

Cadmus nods as each rules is told to him, making a mental note of them. "Righto...and don't worry, I'm not even attempting to take an y 'easy' paths, I'm doing it how everyone else does it." he says, a bit of force to his words. "I'll fight whoever I have to fight fairly and carefully and according to whatever instructions I'm gonna be given." He ponders wether perhaps he sounds a little too robotic in his reassurances, but he simply shrugs mentally at the thought.

Justin grins and claps his hands once as Cadmus answers in the affirmative. "Well, now that that's all settled," he says, grinning. "What's the verdict, o light of my life? Shall I schedule his next exam?

Isabella looks up from her clipboard, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, you should," she replies, handing him the form. "Since you're here and all." She nods to Cadmus, indicating that the exam is over, and kisses her husband on the nose.

Cadmus nods to Isabella, hopping of of the Exam table and rubbing his backside a bit. "Well, that -was- pretty simple...thank you for being gentle, hehe." he says with another smirk, turning then to Justin, "Just give me a time and a place and I'll be there."

Justin returns Isabella's kiss quickly and then becomes all business as he turns to face Cadmus. "In that case, recruit, report to the Guardhouse at first light tomorrow and we'll get started," he tells Cadmus.

Isabella smiles at Cadmus, and nods. She closes her eyes, smiling at the kiss as Justin issues his first order to Cadmus.

Cadmus smiles at two, watching Justin depart a few moments later. "I'll be there!" he calls. He gives a curt bow to Isabella as he makes to follow Justin out. "Well, once again, thanks for the exam, Isabella. I'll...be seeing you around I suppose." He reaches the door, giving another bow, and disappearing from sight.