Ever since hearing Amiya's phone call, which sounded nearly like a plea for help, Kal'tsit had been racing back to Babel as fast as possible after finishing her trade. She felt she had to suppress that woman with thunderous means before she did anything truly irrational.
However, the journey from Ursus to Kazdel was vast. Kal'tsit pushed her truck to the limit, even letting Mon3tr take the wheel at points so she could grab some rest. Even so, by the time she stood before the gates of Babel, nearly half a month had passed since she left Chernobog. If that woman had actually done something to Amiya's ears, Kal'tsit would be far too late to stop it.
Still, Kal'tsit didn't truly believe the woman known as the Doctor would hurt Amiya. Even if she was acting erratically, Warfarin wasn't quite as crazy as she seemed on the surface. Warfarin might join the Doctor in causing chaos that looked like madness to outsiders, but she was still a rational person at heart—mostly. It was just the Bloodline of the Vampires that made her seem twitchy.
Besides... there was Her Highness. Whenever the Doctor lost her composure, Theresa always had a way to soothe her instability.
"Dr. Kal'tsit, you're back! Thank you for your hard work on the road."
As she reached the entrance, the soldiers guarding Babel greeted her. Looking at their eyes filled with genuine respect, it was clear the stoic lynx was quite popular here. Considering she was the head of the medical department, it made sense; in a place where battle was a daily occurrence, you never wanted to offend the person who could save your life.
"Mhm. Did anything major happen while I was away?" Kal'tsit asked. She was used to these greetings; over time, she had moved from polite small talk to a simple grunt of acknowledgment for anyone who wasn't a close associate.
"Nothing too big. The only thing worth mentioning is that Theresis's army has slowed their offensive. Rumor has it he sent troops somewhere and suffered heavy losses..." The soldier scratched his head. He was just a Sarkaz grunt; high-level intel wasn't his forte.
"Don't be nervous. It was just a casual inquiry," Kal'tsit replied. She drove her truck into the heavily guarded interior of Babel. She saw several lightly wounded soldiers returning for treatment, confirming that the front lines were indeed quieter.
She hadn't expected the soldier to know state secrets; she just wanted to see if the Doctor had committed any "crimes" so egregious they had become common knowledge. Fortunately, Babel seemed peaceful on the surface.
She grabbed a bottle of Holy Water and left the truck. The staff nearby took the hint and stayed away from the vehicle. Kal'tsit hurried to her office, where the first thing she saw was a pair of rabbit ears drooping over the side of her desk. Little Amiya was leaning against Kal'tsit's chair, fast asleep.
"Mm... who is it? Dr. Kal'tsit! You're back so soon? Sister Theresa said you wouldn't be back for at least a month." Amiya woke up, her joy evident as she waved her small arms.
Seeing those large rabbit ears waving happily, Kal'tsit finally let out the breath she had been holding. It seemed her guess was right; Warfarin had kept her sanity. Perhaps the vampire had only played along with the Doctor's madness to keep an eye on her. Kal'tsit decided she wouldn't hang Warfarin from the lightning rod on the roof this time.
"After our call, I thought the Doctor had gone off the deep end again. I rushed back to stop her before she did anything too excessive." Kal'tsit stroked Amiya's head and handed her a few candies. They were a bit melted from being in her pocket—bitter coffee-flavored sweets she used for quick energy when she skipped meals—but the little rabbit ate them happily.
"Why are you sleeping here alone? Why didn't you go to your room, or even mine?" Kal'tsit worried the girl might catch a cold. Due to her unique condition and Oripathy, Amiya's health was fragile, and she felt light as a feather when picked up.
"Sister Theresa told me to wait here while she handled some things, but I fell asleep," Amiya explained. It seemed the Highness had left her there and likely forgotten her in the heat of work.
"I'll take you to my room to rest then. I'll let the Highness know later." Kal'tsit led Amiya toward her bedroom. However, the moment she mentioned her room, little Amiya's body went stiff. Kal'tsit felt it immediately, and her heart sank. Something was wrong.
It seemed the Doctor, in her state of "instability," had done something to her room. Once before, the Doctor had scattered catnip everywhere. Even for a Feline, that stuff was hard to resist, but modern catnip on Terra usually had zero effect on Felines due to Originium mutation. The Doctor's version, however... was a new breed. It was designed to attract Felines, though it didn't work on someone with Kal'tsit's iron will.
"Dr. Kal'tsit... I think we should go find Sister Theresa first! Don't you have things to tell her?" Amiya's steps became more leaden as they approached the door. She was acting like a child who had made a mistake and didn't want the parent to see.
"It's fine. I really want to see what 'insane' changes the Doctor has made to my quarters."
Kal'tsit opened the door and froze. The walls were covered in stickers of pink Felines. The colors and patterns were enough to give her goosebumps. She looked in disgust at her room, which had been completely renovated. Her bed had been replaced with a giant cat nest. Her desk was gone, replaced by a massive cat tree.
Hanging from the ceiling were fresh cucumbers. Judging by the empty strings, the Doctor had already eaten most of them. Worst of all, her shelves of academic medical journals were gone. In their place were books titled How to Happily Pet Your Feline and The Doctor's 100 Techniques for the Feline Race.
Her priceless medical records had been replaced with literal trash. Kal'tsit felt her blood pressure, which she had worked so hard to stabilize, begin to skyrocket.
Right now, her only wish was to let Mon3tr give that damn Doctor a thorough beating just so she could vent her fury.