5MD Medical Plaza

PhotoMan and Cosmo ended up speaking over each other trying to explain their teeth comments: "they are something of a niche charm point" layered over "Hyde, there isn't a mouth that couldn't use a little cosmetic dentistry." Both of them sounded like they were having a more scandalous thought than they verbalized, but the conversation soon moved on to other topics.

The photographer looked over his shoulder with a forlorn frown, although that was really just his natural expression, before turning his eyes forward. "It is unlike me to misjudge a photoshoot so thoroughly. My mental image strayed far from reality. It is humbling," he responded. "Put it out of your mind, though. We will refocus with new direction."

Calistheti didn't trust PhotoMan, it seemed, but she still trusted Hyde. "I'll be back in a jiffy," she reassured Hyde, while seeming impressively unfazed by the hidden message on the paper, so much so that Hyde might worry if she had read it fully. She flashed out of the area quickly after.

The others huddled around to hear Hyde's thought process, but Hyde ended up back with PhotoMan instead for a private conversation. His eyes clicked mechanically, seeming to zip towards either his helmet or her boobs, before resetting onto her face. His ordinarily expressionless face all the same managed to register emotions as he read over the note's contents. Something about the charity idea briefly caused him to scowl, which seemed like a potentially bad sign, but he regained his contemplative air as he continued.

By the time he was done, his gears were clicking, and he began rubbing his chin with one cupped hand. "That sounds like an inspired shoot, Hyde," he agreed. "I'm somewhat concerned about the... medication. You are a doctor, though...?" It sounded like he wanted that to be a statement of relief and it instead turned into a question of skepticism.

"I approve of your liberal use of notes, Hyde, but I am itching to get started. How should we start? There is an ultrasound in Calistheti's lab if we need to go there," Psychologi butted in with another suggestion, which bore, as always, terribly unpleasant implications.

"Yes, of course. Hyde's direction is sound," PhotoMan responded.

"Her direction is ultrasound?" Psychologi asked, her pen pausing on paper with a sharp *shik* noise as though she had just underlined something.

"... I think not," PhotoMan answered quietly. "Hyde has suggested we frame this as a teasing pinup calendar, for charity purposes. We can, of course, arrange to distribute some of the proceeds, such that there end up being, to the charity of your choice after the fact. We need two things from you for now. Firstly, we need cards from an inkblot test."

"Classic. Of course I have some. Mine are especially provocative, of course. I ruminate on them myself frequently, in private," she answered, walking around to the back of her desk and opening a draw.

"I'm sure you have studied them thoroughly," PhotoMan nodded, then tried to hurriedly speak out the next line, only to find himself interrupted.

"To pleasure myself sexually," Psychologi added, then leaned in and held her pen to her notepad, as though she planned to carefully note the details of his reaction.

"To... yes. How? No. Nevermind-" he retorted, which immediately engaged another session of struggling to talk over her in order not to hear the answer. "Drop the subject entirely. And also, I will need you to drop your pants, underwear, and whatever else necessary to expose yourself and your stomach. You may cover yourself with the flashcards, as that is the end goal of the shoot: you will pose on your knees on the desk, legs spread, with the card in the center."

"Fascinating," she responded, seeming unfazed even as the noise of pill-munching escalated. "Might I suggest this one?" she asked, holding up a flashcard that could be interpreted as a medieval sling laden with two large rocks if one squinted especially hard.

"I will curate them and find the best one," PhotoMan insisted, then immediately began dumping flashcards onto the floor as he tossed away one phallic image after another.

In the mean time, Psychologi was eagerly removing her lower garments, stepping out if her pumps and clothing until she was wearing something even more disturbing than the flashcards on the floor: a white, shapeless diaper, secured by a bobby-pin on the front. She paused to look at him again, tapping her pen up and down on the paper. "Well?"

"... Well what? Please keep going," he insisted, gulping back something.

"I wear this for one of my patients."

"... I would rather you not for the photoshoot."

"Hm. Diaper... removing... fetish."

"Don't write that."

"Would you like to remove it?"

"No."

Psychologi seemed satisfied with the answers she had received and finally set down her clipboard, scooting up onto the desk as she did. She spread her legs theatrically, grabbed the only remaining ink-blot in PhotoMan's hands, and held it between her legs as she unpinned her diaper and let it fall. The sweet, unthinkable smell of baby powder would hit Hyde's nose. "I'm prepared. Hyde, please take the shot. Maybe we should take several with different flashcards? You could make a full pinup calendar, with just that material," she mused.

"Please no," PhotoMan interjected, losing the pause that would have made that statement seem professional rather than desperate.

The one remaining flashcard had a shape a little like a hand raising two fingers. It didn't look much like a penis... but it did look a lot like a hand preparing two reach two fingers into a place best suited for the girls' long lost sister, Ginocologi.

"Obscene! I'm glad you dyed your hair so nobody thinks you're me," Pharmaceuti protested.

"Ahem. I'm ready," Psychologi reiterated.

"Please also bite onto a pen, lengthwise," PhotoMan added, trying to remember last minute details that might make the shot sexier... or perhaps just unable to stand the girl continuing to tall.

The psychiatrist placed one of her physically shaped pens into the corner of her mouth. A loud sucking noise accompanied, followed by immediately repositioning the pen with her lips so that it ended up pointing outward.

"... Why? Why are you doing this?" PhotoMan asked in a mumble, sounding defeated. "Please... just bite the pen."

"Likes... biting... Yes, I'm making a mental note here," Psychologi responded, tilting her chin up slightly. "Please take the pictures now, Hyde."

It would occur to Hyde that everyone else had moved to the front of the desk, but from her position, she had a side -view look at the girl's shapely legs and the profile of her bare bottom. It would be a delightfully erotic view, if not cursed with the context that Hyde now had to place with the woman. However, by the plan, Hyde would want to circle back around to the front and go low-angle to start taking photos.

Calistheti had said she would be back in a jiffy, but a jiffy was now over and she was nowhere to be found. Presumably, she was just taking her time making some nice, representative photos, or perhaps searching Pharmaceuti's office for the medicine.

“That’s right,” Hyde reassured PhotoMan, her brow creasing with worry at his words even as her smile remained. “Wait a moment. Do you not believe I’m actually a doctor? I-“

Hyde’s mounting concerns of the skepticism of her profession would have to wait, as Psychologi didn’t intend to wait any longer for her whatever was next, with apparently little regard as to what Hyde actually had in mind. She watched the woman’s comedy routine with PhotoMan bearing her same concerned smile. A part of her began to wonder if it was betraying her oath by plotting to earn these doctors more visitors… “H-how does one pleasure one’s self with inkblots…?” she muttered under her breath, scared to give it enough volume that she’d actually get an answer.

Her eyes widened, her smile twitching as though she were going to either scream or break into laughter at the sight of what Psychologi had been hiding. ”What… on earth… Just what is she doing with her patients? Do I need to intervene here?!” Hyde cleared her throat, composing herself, then spoke again in a forced upbeat tone. “How interesting! I think I really ought to review the techniques of each of you thoroughly before I’m done here today. How terrible. Terribly interesting.”

“Thank you, PhotoMan, truly,” she told the cameraman, wondering if she would have been able to ever get this arranged if she’d had to do it alone. “I… had assumed you would want to do the photos yourself,” she admitted. “Eh… The lens is part of the helmet, correct? I’ll only be able to really see what I’m shooting if I wear it…” Sighing, she put the device on her helmet and reminded herself of the functions, then focused on the woman before her, growing red as the nature of what she was doing seemed to fully dawn on her. Anyone with a mind to do so would probably be able to catch her gulping as she stared at Psychologi’s bare side profile. Shaking her head briefly before shutting her eyes and circling around to the front, Hyde addressed her focus without facing her. “Now, please hold that pose, if you would…”

Hyde didn’t have much of an eye for photography, so she’d just have to hope that PhotoMan’s equipment could compensate in volume of shots. She took as many as she could while moving from a low shot on her knees to a higher one with her head about level with the belly button. With that accomplished, she moved back a bit and tried the same from a greater distance. With all the shots taken she cared to, she removed the helmet and thrust it back to PhotoMan. “That’s… quite enough for me. Psychologi, please hold that pose until we’ve run the check. PhotoMan, see if we have anything usable, would you, please…?”

While leaving PhotoMan to that, Hyde began to consider how she would handle the next shoot. She couldn’t do Pharmaceuti yet, and, strangely, Calistheti wasn’t back yet. Hyde recalled back to the woman’s hastiness to sprint off to the task, a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. ”Easy, now… for all I know, she’s simply taking her time with the task I gave her, making sure to do it right… but that isn’t what feels like it’s happening, is it…?” She glanced back at Psychologi’s bizarre performance and, seeming to come to a decision from that, turned to PhotoMan again. “Can I beg you to do a quick favor for me? I don’t think I have any choice but to do Cosmo’s shoot next, but I’m worried what’s become of Calistheti. If we got Pscyhologi okay, would you mind passing me the helmet and using the teleporter to go to Pharmaceuti’s? If you don’t see Calistheti there, just come to Cosmo’s. If you do, send me a message if there’s… anything I need to know,” she begged, unable to hide her creeping concern in the tone of her voice.

At this point, she felt she was delegating rather than asking, so she summoned Cosmo immediately. “Assuming we’re all good here, I think we’ll be going to your office. I’m going to have PhotoMan take care of something in the meantime, so I’ll handle your shoot personally. Would you be kind enough to lead the way to your office?” It might occur to anybody more anchored than Hyde herself currently was that she was about to leave a lion’s share of her clothing and equipment on the floor as she prepared to exit.

There was a moment of unnerving silence as Psychologi seemed to stare at Hyde, as I'd she somehow had understood the hidden question about inkblot masturbation and intended to answer it. The moment passed, and it was on to the rest of the objectively ridiculous business.

Thankfully for Hyde, when it came time to take the shots, PhotoMan's helmet was well suited to take a rapid flurry of consecutive photos, such that one had to imagine one must be good. For her part, Psychologi bit the pen as she had been instructed, but her eyes seemed to unnervingly follow Hyde wherever she maneuvered. As Hyde closely inspected the ink blot with her camera helmet, the other girl twitched restlessly. "Cnnf I mkf smt nmfts?" she asked through her clenched teeth.

"Please bear with us," PhotoMan encouraged her, then moved to join Hyde, still in his poor state of dress. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he inspected the photographs, making no gesture to indicate it was okay for the strangest of the sister's to remove the pen from her mouth and resume talking. "Yes, these will work well. Especially without the context of her voice. I believe that the mysteriousness of her personality is most inspiring," he spoke quickly, tapping his finger against his helmet as he found one he liked.

"Nn mrr frm bffnd? Mff hmf f'a nffblft fft nlcks nck-"

"Psychologi, why don't you take the time to dress back," PhotoMan instructed her. He turned to Hyde and received her request, lowering his eyebrows. "Very well. I'll go check on her," he agreed, then disappeared through the same portal. Hopefully, it was going to be easy for him to navigate the portals and reach the specific office he needed to be in.

"Well, with Psychologi busy here, Calistheti off there, and Bonesaw... wherever... I guess it's just me and Pharmaceuti now! And I can guess which of us you're dying to take the next picture of, hm hm," Cosmo chuckled, sounding offputtingly egotistic... but he had a point, as he was still all composure and charm after witnessing the last shoot, while his sister was grinding pills with her teeth and had seemingly forgotten how to chew with her mouth closed at some point. "Trust me, doctor, my office never disappoints. Not in decor and not in results," he winked.

For whatever reason, Psychologi was still holding her pose, but she nodded as if to say "I'll be fine here."

Cosmo led the way back to the portal, pausing to turn the knob that modified its destination. In a moment later, he, Hyde, and Pharmaceuti were whisked away to what looked like a much more normal doctor's office, featuring several curious looking machines that likely related to Cosmo's work. A few oddities stood out: a makeup kit, which seemed a little outside the realm of cosmetic surgery... a giant, dangerous-looking machine like a giant gun ending in a sci-fi, ringed laser pointer... and many, many posters all around, displaying before and after processes where he had improved patients... which generally meant making them look more like himself, apparently. Notably, one of the pictures showed a navi that at first glance appeared to be Calistheti, side by side with a photo of Cosmo.

"Taking pictures is actually a part of my daily routine, my pale beauty, so if you want me to use my tools instead of that frankly ancient-looking camera, say the word. Oh, and let me know where to strike a pose and what to wear! I'm down for anything, except wearing a diaper," he teased, striking a shameless pose by grabbing hold of his surgery table and bending over it slightly, which'd be embarrassing even without the context of what was coming next.

"I hate your office," Pharmaceuti pointed out around a mouth full of pills. "It's like a shrine to useless, overpriced surgery. The MD in 5MD stands for 'medicine!' This ridiculous workspace just makes it look like you need medicine," she scoffed, unloading harsh words.

"Now now, jealousy isn't a good look for you, sister. Though I know looks that would be better," he teased, switching to a sitting position atop the surgery bed with one knee cradled in his arms. "And if I really like it Hyde... I may even be willing to do some cosmetic surgery for free. You'd like that, right? Just a quick step through the x-ray, then the examination table, then we will take a quick mold of your current bite, after which we can compare it to several of my ideal sample sets, and once you pick, it'll be a simple matter to fix those-"

Hyde could listen to more of the rambling if she wanted, but she might have bigger concerns for the moment. Two messages of varying importance came in simultaneously.

Quote (Calistheti)

It took a bit but I finally found that medicine you were asking for! She has a bazillion bottles, so even with my speed, it took a while. I'm on my way back. Are you guys still in Psychologi's office?

Quote (PhotoMan)

I saw Calistheti covered in spatterings of navi data, carrying a saw in one hand. She was in a room full of exercise equipment. It didn't look like her own data she had gotten on her. Should we escape? Think they're all crazy

Hyde let out a sigh of relief as PhotoMan evidently found a shot or two he was pleased with. She thought momentarily of asking to see it, but decided she’d really seen quite enough. If PhotoMan was happy enough with it as a professional, that was fine for her.

She thanked PhotoMan as he left, then spent one more thought for Psychologi, coughing into her fist. “It would appear we’re finished, so, if you’re quite done, you can go ahead and dress once more. Thank you again… As for the rest of us, we can be off. Please lead the way, Cosmo.” The strange procession of doctors entered the portal…

… Which teleported them to another office, one which was largely what Hyde had been expecting from Cosmo. ”Well, except for that,” she admitted, staring at the enormous piece of unknown equipment, the only place the eye could really come to rest in the room without falling on Cosmo. ”My extensive database of medical equipment isn’t bringing up a quick match… I could search the entire database myself, but it really isn’t any business of mine… for now,” she reminded herself, still considering if she needed to explore the medical techniques being practiced before she left.

She allowed Pharmaceuti and Cosmo to trade banter for a bit, ignoring Cosmo’s posturing as she glanced along the walls. “Cosmo, are your patients typically… completely satisfied with their cosmetic surgery? Do you perhaps have some outpatient survey to confirm it?” she couldn’t help but ask. The man wasn’t hard on the eyes, but she found it hard to imagine all of the faces she saw on the wall would have volunteered (nonetheless paid for) the operation the spread implied. Her eyes stuck a moment on the photo of Cosmo and Calistheti’s apparent twin, but she didn’t say anything: this was more or less what she had figured, but she had no idea if the operation was a sensitive issue and no reason to pry, regardless.

Hyde was about to get into thinking of how to do a shoot for Cosmo, finding the strange muse she’d grabbed hold of to coordinate Psychologi’s now flown, before she saw she had a couple of messages. She ignored Cosmo’s rambling, having no interest in being subject to any operation of any kind at the current moment, as she first reviewed Calistheti’s. ”Thank goodness. I suppose there weren’t any problems after all...” Relieved, she composed a response:

Quote

Thank you kindly. We wrapped up your sister’s shoot and have moved on to Cosmo’s office, please rejoin us as soon as possible.

Hyde checked PhotoMan’s message next. If he’d met Calistheti, it would be funny for him to send a message right alongside her… More than likely, it was something else.

The doctor’s face fell to a frown that many would probably consider a measure short in response to what she’d just read. As a doctor, Hyde wasn’t the type to freak out under pressure, or especially gore. As such, she remained eerily calm as she reviewed the situation, ignoring what was happening in the room around her. ”I just received a message from Calistheti. Even an impostor of her would probably have a hard time forging the direct communication, so that scenario is unlikely… No, the more likely option…” she thought to herself…

The Navi felt a surge inside herself, a familiar feeling that seemed to want to break out but had no outlet. By this point, Hyde was aware from her breakthrough with Sleuth of some ailment, but she couldn’t recall ever having gotten any forewarning before. The doctor found herself thinking of Sleuth at the moment, oddly, but shook her head to clear it, focusing on the task at hand again.

”Bonesaw. PhotoMan is seeing Bonesaw now, that is the far more likely option. The problem now is that I have no idea if Bonesaw is dangerous or not. It sounds like she’s in Calistheti’s office, which would mean PhotoMan is also in the wrong location. He must have been unable to use the teleporter correctly, or else was confused by the directions. But what is she doing? With all of the things I’ve seen today, it would only be a small stretch to imagine she heard about the photo shoot and came unwashed from her work to participate…” Having considered, Hyde began composing her message. She didn’t think her recipient was actually in danger, but she’d be neglecting her oath if she didn’t take precautions:

Quote

Photoman, I believe the Navi you’re seeing is not Calistheti, but her sister, Bonesaw. I can’t explain more now, but please either rejoin us in Cosmo’s or return to Psychologi’s office if you’re able. If not, I’ll have to trust your judgment; please jack out if you believe you’re in danger.

There’d be time to explain more later, but Hyde sincerely hoped PhotoMan wouldn’t jack out. If he did, his camera would likely go with him, and Hyde still needed both the photographer’s eye and his lens to finish. ”I suppose I can use Cosmo’s camera as a backup if I need to…? I’d certainly rather not, though…”

Hyde finally finished sending her messages and returned to paying attention to her current surroundings and the two doctors she still had on hand. “I’m sorry, that was PhotoMan and Calistheti just now… Um, I apologize, but I actually need to step back to the previous office for a moment. I need to get my hat so I can… think…” Hyde said, slowing on the word unintentionally in a way that made it seem she might really mean it. “In the meantime, would you all mind telling me what you know of your absent sister, Bonesaw? Have you stayed in touch to remain familiar with her? And are you aware of anything unusual in her behavior?”

Hyde stepped towards the teleporter, clutching around the helmet she was wearing as though it fit her poorly. It might be a bit surprising that she wanted her hat specifically at all, considering in order to wear it now she’d have to actively switch between it and the photographer’s headgear. “Ah, I suppose I should send PhotoMan a message to update him…” Impatiently, she quickly composed a follow-up to what she sent before.

Quote

I’m going to get my hat back and tag out again. Meet us at the office with all the adorable willies! xoxo

Hyde read what she wrote aloud in a quick mumble, then deleted the whole thing and rewrote it.

Quote

I’m going to get my hat back again. Meet us at Psychologi’s office.

Yours truly,
Hyde.EXOXOE

Satisfied, Hyde sent the message and hoped she was already on her way.

Cosmo gave a wry smile, that looked only slightly different from his usual smug one. "I see what you're getting at, but let me reassure you: I don't play any tricks and I don't pull the wool over anyone's eyes. There is no mystery unveiling! My patients know exactly what they're getting when they sign on: a transformative cosmetic experience, based on my perfect baseline. There is a sales pitch involved, but no confusion on the end product, oh no, my dear," he explained, with a tenderness as though he might stroke Hyde's cheek caringly, if she was closer at hand or perhaps on an operating table.

"Yeah, they know up front... that's why he doesn't have any patients, probably," Pharmaceuti added. Cosmo just shrugged, but that could very well be the real root of his poor customer base.

While they were bantering, Calistheti returned a simple "okay!" to Hyde's question. She ought to know her way around easily enough to return to the right office quickly. On the other hand, PhotoMan was less certain:

Quote (PhotoMan)

That is reassuring... perhaps Bonesaw is only covered in data because her profession demands it. She will spot me as soon as I exit cover. I am going to engage with her for a bit and have her guide me to the correct room. Please handle the shoot on your own for now.

"Your hat? I believe you look better without it," Cosmo offered unhelpfully, ever quick to sieze upon aspects of one's appearance he thought needed changing. Her question caused the two siblings to look at each other with raised eyebrows. "Yes, Bonesaw, our sister, remains close to us. We see her all the time, of course. We rarely go to her place of business though... it's eeeeh... not a very comfortable office, comparee to mine or my sisters'."

"Yeah... even Psychologi's isn't that bad compared to hers. But Bonesaw is, again, the one making the money, so she must be doing something right," Pharmaceuti repeated. "She has a lot of clients too... and not all of them come through the front lobby. A lot of them beam straight to her. Frankly they all look kinda of... what's the word...?" she muttered, first adjusting her glasses with a political pause, then, apparently unable to divine her answer, popping out two more pills onto the palm of her hand and sticking them into her mouth.

"They certainly need cosmetic surgery, in the average case," Cosmo answered, still smiling.

"No one needs cosmetic surgery, that's why it's distinguished as cosmetic!" Pharmaceuti jabbed at him. "As for Bonesaw, she isn't dangerous or anything. Just creepy. Her patients all leave glowing reviews after their treatment... which proves they're alive, if nothing else. In the average case, anyway." Cosmo nodded along; "in the average case" was starting to seem like their catch phrase.

Hyde sent a quick, mildly unprofessional message to PhotoMan, then headed back to Psychologi's office. There, she would find only Psychologi, now dressed back into a professional pant-suit combo. She looked so stately one could almost wipe the diaper image out of one's mind... almost. "Hm? Did you want to.... be seen, after all?" Psychologi asked, then made quite a point of bending over, sticking her bottom out while she picked up one of the inappropriately shaped pens from earlier. Hyde's hat was where she left it.

With no sign of PhotoMan, nor a response yet, Hyde would have to wing it herself. Calistheti hadn't appeared yet either, though one could assume that was only because she had already gone to Cosmo's office.

Hyde had to admit Cosmo and Pharmaceuti’s responses regarding Cosmo’s business added up when taken as a package. While this assuaged her concerns about any professional obligation to review Cosmo’s methods, it did make her question herself once again. Why was she so confident this bizarre photo shoot advertisement would be able to turn things around for the medical complex?

She kept that worry to herself (and any momentary concerns about her fashion sense, which never lasted long in any case) as she instead focused on the responses about Bonesaw. It sounded like even though the siblings had separate businesses, they had regular contact. That calmed any concern in Hyde’s mind that Bonesaw might be an unknown killer stalking through the medical complex. It seemed like both Pharmaceuti and Cosmo were dancing around some particulars of her business, but she didn’t expect to understand everything those two said, regardless. After all, didn’t Cosmo think everyone who wasn’t him needed cosmetic surgery? There was one thing, though. “Hold on a moment. You mean, they leave a glowing review ‘in the average case?’” she asked with a concerned smile, not adding the other half of her concern aloud: ”Or they’re proven alive, ‘in the average case?’”

Regardless of the answer, Hyde continued to Psychologi’s office to keep the operation moving. She leaned down to pick up her hat, not making a show of it as the psychiatrist was. To her own surprise, though, even before she got the hat on, she found her eyes thoughtlessly locked onto the other woman’s display. Quickly, she whipped her helmet off and replaced it with her usual headgear. Once she’d gotten it on, she let out a big sigh and grinned broadly, spinning the helmet on one finger. “Theeere we go! Now I’m feeling the ol’ engines firing up. Why, something about this office is almost making me want to give my cheeky friend another go.” She skipped across the carpet to grab her flask where it had fallen before, not apologizing for the previously discrete wet spot it had left and not bothering to pick up any of the other clothing she had shed. “But! The show must go on.”

Hyde thought to herself for a moment, then turned to the reassembled group of doctors again. “Mm. A bit of a bother, though. I told PhotoMan to rejoin us here, but I need to return to Cosmo’s for the shoot. Psychologi, would you mind going to Calistheti’s office and seeing what’s keeping him? I got the idea he screwed up with the teleporter earlier and ended up in the wrong spot. Pharmaceuti, please stay here and make sure he doesn’t show up and miss us,” she directed, smiling at the small pleasure of leaving Pharmaceuti alone in her sister’s office. “Meanwhile, Cosmo and I will take our leave. Reconvene in Cosmo’s office in eight minutes!”

Hyde would take Cosmo by the hand and lead him to the teleporter, holding a moment for him to set it up so there wouldn’t be any mishap. Once they were hopefully back in the office, she would quickly and aggressively attempt to walk him backwards towards his laser equipment, utilizing surprising physical strength. If she got him there, she would press her chest, still barely covered by her suspenders, against the other Navi. “Mmhmhmhm! Hopefully they’ll leave us alone for a moment, as I’m feeling inspired for an especially naughty shoot. I have been ever since I got a look at your enormous equipment! Might be a bit awkward with all the sisters flittering about. Now, I just need to see if the rest of your equipment is suitable to appear front and center in the centerfold.” Hyde backed off slowly from her target, resting a hand at her chin and tossing the helmet onto whatever counter, operating table, or similar surface was closest. “Why don’t you show me that body you’re so proud of, down to the skivvies? Then, I’ll consider what the ‘best feature’ to capitalize on is.” Earlier, she’d said she’d be focusing on his smile, but she certainly seemed to have her focus somewhere else as she focused glinting eyes on the lower half of his body.

"Oh, yes! Most of the patients conduct an outpatient interview at a later time, and I've never seen a bad review left by one of Bonesaw's patients," Cosmo would answer Hyde on the way out. That answer probably wouldn't do much to calm Hyde down, unfortunately, since it left her real concern unaddressed.

In the next room, Hyde reclaimed her hat and flask, then produced new instructions for each of the sisters present in the room. Pharmaceuti's frown showed she wasn't nearly as eager to run around chasing other people down as her sister was. "It's easy to imagine the cameraman became lost. I'll go after him..." she admitted, then turned to exit. "I was sort of picturing enjoying this time, comfortable in my own office... not running around between my sisters' unorganized spaces."

"Does something about my office make you... uncomfortable?" Psychologi asked with another grossly overstated pause, as if any rational person could be comfortable in a place that seemed specifically designed to force through confirmation of all of Freud's theories. The other sister simply shuddered and kept going. "Eight minutes, hm? Eight minutes is a practical, compact length of time for.... it."

Hyde could muse over which "it" Psychologi was referring to, but she had more important things to do than muse over some vague innuendo when far greater and further inappropriate innuendos were waiting to be spoken. Rejoined in Cosmo's clinic, Hyde wasted little time in turning the scene into something out of a doctor-based smut film... though, usually, there was a patient involved there, not two doctors.

Cosmo seemed at first unnerved at being pushed around, making a face a little like the incredulous one he had when he learned his suggestion wasn't being picked. Once he got a general idea of what she wanted, however, he stopped pouting and began smiling again. "Oh, I should have figured! Not to worry; as a cosmetic surgeon who prides himself on total body transformations, I am confident about every single aspect of my own physique!" he ensured Hyde. It would perhaps be pleasing how willing he was to go along, or perhaps annoying that he seemed very absorbed in his own ego and not particularly cognizant of Hyde's suspender bra or other efforts she may have gone to in order to get him excited for anything other than himself.

With all of the efficiency of someone who had done so in a mirror from time to time, the medical plaza's one male doctor removed his coat with a shrug forward of his shoulders, pulling out first one arm, then the other, before turning to fold the article atop his patient table. His coat seemed somehow just a prop, a fashion choice, compared to his sisters', which was full of pills bottles to the point it had become cumbersome to wear.

The next parts of his routine were routine indeed, in the sense that she might have seen them in certain media before, until he was finally out of his navi suit, dressed just how she had requested he be: the one article he left on was a pair of close fitting cotton shorts, white with a red heart design across them, a bit reminiscent of Calistheti's motif. They were a bit showier than they needed to be, with a low band, but otherwise normal enough.

Everything was ship shape, as far as his body went; he had a lean, athletic build that seemed like it might be cheating, if he had achieved it through cosmetic surgery instead of through his sister's exercise routine. He looked just as comfortable standing in his office in his shorts as he had been in his full wadrobe.

The half-naked gentleman's show was ironically lacking in provocative pelvic motions or anything of that sort when compared to that of the sister, Psychologi. Once he was finished, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "What do you think? Starting to get second thoughts about the surgery? Trust me: it's worth every zenny!" he reassured her with a winning wink, one which seemed delusionally certain that Hyde would be moved into seeking surgery in order to mirror his, while nice, relatively incompatible body shape and features (as well as gender, perhaps).

Hyde’s current personality was the type to live in the moment, so she didn’t dwell too long on the fact that Pharmaceuti had (reasonably) swapped her order around so she’d leave and Psychologi would stay. Instead, she focused on the specimen she’d pinned in front of her. Even though Cosmo was going to the trouble of giving her the show she’d requested, though, her hungry grin flattened a bit at the corners. Giving a narcissist like this the attention he wanted in foreplay like this would only be justifiable if it looked like he would be absolute dynamite in the sack (or on a table). In this case, she didn’t think she’d truly left herself enough time for that. Further, she was still batting around the possibility she could get a better deal out of Psychologi before she was through…

Still, she’d be lying if she said he didn’t have reason to be cocky about his figure. Hyde glanced over it a bit as though considering what to do, before beaming with a fake smile. “That’s quite enough, thanks! Quite nice, but nothing tops that smile, mm? Let’s focus on those pearly whites. But, ah, just leave the clothes there, attaboy.”

Hyde put her hands in two “L’s,” a child’s interpretation of the gesture rather than any actual attempt at framing a composition, and stalked around the man at his laser. “Hmm, let’s see… Aha.” Struck with inspiration, Hyde took the helmet she’d removed earlier and actually put it on over her top hat, crushing the hat’s shape and folding it down like an accordion in order to accomplish it. To the other Navi’s possible horror, Hyde then approached the side of the massive and certainly expensive laser and scrambled up on top of it with surprisingly deft coordination. Sticking her tongue out, Hyde posed for a moment with her bottom out on top before turning around and straddling the device while looking down at her target.

“This angle is just perfect, I think. Now, you merely need to recline on the barrel of the laser turned toward the floor. Prop your head up as you like or lie on your back, look comfortable, inviting, lively, not like such a total stuffed-headed mannequin, there’s a good boy…” Waiting for her instructions to be followed, Hyde impatiently fiddled with the helmet, which was probably uncomfortable considering the doctor and photographer was indeed wearing two hats. Ironically, in this position, while it would be clear Cosmo was mostly undressed, it would be the worst possible angle for showing off his body. If he did as instructed, she’d take a couple of shots, indicate he should try rolling over, then take a rapid series of shots as he was in motion, which would obviously have little value for the advertisement.

"You're right, of course; I see you have a keen eye. It's a little like the annoying salesperson who tries to sell you something after you've ready seen what you like, isn't it? You knew the smile was the focal point the moment you saw it," Cosmo chuckled insufferably, seeming to take the downplaying of his physique in stride by taking the smile remark at face value. Like Hyde's, his smile was slightly strained as he watched her smash her own hat and then climb onto his undoubtedly expensive, state-of-the-art laser. "That's not meant to support a person's weight," he informed her, but it seemed plenty sturdy for the task, so doubtless, she'd stay on top of it.

The instructions caused him to move from only sounding disturbed to looking that way. "The barrel of the device is definitely not designed to support a grown man," he informed her. "And that sounds like, erm... how should I say this..." he murmured, looking amazingly thoughtful and hesitant for a man who stripped down to his boxers for a photoshoot just a moment ago.

He sat upon the table for a moment, then raised both hands in a "don't be offended" gesture. "So, in the last office, I believe you honed in on what people want: to get it on with their therapist on a desk. Okay? I think i get that one. Here, you've got me, and I'm sort of being... how should I say this... draped across my surgical laser? That's not really something people fantasize about, is it? Even my sister would probably prefer it if I were to, you know, hug the laser or lick the barrel, something phallic, right? I know there must be a better pose available to us..." he complained. When she made it clear that's what she wanted, he got atop, trying to ignore the creaking noises, and attempted to do what she asked.

As the groaning noise got worse, the barrel slid down and threatened to deposit him on the floor. Worse, he was fully cognizant of the fact that his face was not being focused upon in the picture. Finally, he jumped off, throwing up his hands in frustration. "No, no! Hyde, I cannot have a worse photo shoot than my sister, I simply can't! Being photogenic is my best quality! I should be making the best ad of all of us sisters, not the worst! Isn't there something better we can do?!" he insisted, throwing an unsightly tantrum at what he perceived as a lackluster shoot in comparison to his sister's. "Look, I've got a perfectly good doctor's bed there! I can pose, flex standing up if I need to! Can't we just do something else...?"

Hyde had used up about half the allotted eight minute time so far, so if she wanted to follow his instructions, she might need to push him into position somewhere rather than instructing him verbally.

“You’re on me about my weight now?” Hyde faux-complained, happy she was getting the concern out of him she’d been going for. “You’re calling me a fat-*ss, hm? I’ll have you know many fellows find this figure quite pleasant!” Even as she pretended to complain, she was grinning, as though daring him to keep pressing the point.

Dutifully, at least to himself, the man kept the shoot moving. Hyde again recoiled in mock shock at having her idea questioned. “Cosmo, I’ve been fantasizing about you draped across that doohickey ever since we got into your bloody office! Why, ever since I saw you clothed and dared imagine you had such a device at your disposal! Trust me, this is going to be next level stuff,” she insisted, snorting a little bit at defending a composition she knew full well was garbage just to threaten the structure of his laser.

She bit her lip as he threw a tantrum, trying to hide a grin of her own and somehow make it look like a grimace as she got the exact reaction she wanted. “Oh, so you thought my work with Psychologi was good? Why thank you,” she beamed, working hard to completely ignore the meat and potatoes of his rant. “But yes, yes, I’m sorry. I’m sure you know I’d never want to do anything to injure your pride. And, of course, I’m the absolute easiest person to work with. Let’s do it your way, shall we? Simply give us a winning pose and a sexy smile on that bed if you would, and your dynamite cosmetic work will sell itself.”

As he presumably got into position, she would stalk around him, again mock-framing with her fingers as she apparently searched for the perfect angle. She would nod, then walk around again, nod some more, then walk back to where she’d just been. She’d pick up a bottle and turn it over idly in her hand before putting it back. She’d flex her arms and do a stretch. If asked about any of this, she’d simply say “looking for inspiration.”

Assuming he didn’t snap the helmet off of her head to take the picture himself, by the time she estimated she was just about out of time, she’d finally take a single shot. To everyone’s surprise (even her own), it actually seemed like an angle that could at least, theoretically, work, so long as Cosmo had been holding a good pose and hadn’t blinked. “There now, that wasn’t so bad, right? Not like having teeth pulled, anyhow,” she’d comment, leaning towards him and smiling teasingly as she reached for his mouth. If he didn’t retreat or stop her, she’d actually reach in, grabbing one of his upper teeth between her thumb and forefinger as she maintained eye contact with him.

"Ah ha ha... well, I wasn't going to say anything about that, but..." the cosmetic surgeon chuckled in response to her goading about her own body weight, sounding as charming as ever, but dispensing with politeness as he spoke the quip almost too quickly to hear. "Ahem. No, I wouldn't say anything involving Psychologi was ever good, but, if you'll forgive my saying, at least it worked to its greatest potential. Here, you've been given the choicest subject you could ask for in regards to photography and squandering the opportunity! I'm great, I know, but I could still lose to Psychologi if you- we- don't get our act together," he sighed, trying to temper his frustration just slightly and take some share of the blame, which he obviously didn't feel he deserved.

Hyde gave in to the man's demands, seemingly, and he gave a deep sigh of relief. "That's good, yes! Haven't great models throughout history always stuck to their strengths? Let us use my sex appeal in a situation that seems tantalizing to the common man and woman," he nodded, assuming position on the bed as though he'd been waiting for it. In a flash, he struck the most practiced, erotic pose he could think of, lying back on his shoulders and sticking his thumbs into the rim of his boxer shorts. He tugged them out and down slightly, while lifting one knee a bit above the bed and facing her with his head. "What do you think? So dynamic it ought to be on my advertisements, right? Let's get it there!"

She didn't take up the call to action. Instead, she procrastinated as much as she could, until eventually, he seemed to give up on the pose slightly, obviously feeling as if he was being made a fool of. "Hyde, I'm beginning to think that you are conspiring with my sisters-" he began, before realizing she was actually snapping a picture now. With all of the speed and desperation of a man who's been waiting his whole life- but especially for this last stretch- to make the perfect pose on camera, he reassumed his pose and grin instantaneously.

Once the flash went off and Hyde made it clear she didn't intend to take more pictures, he sat up excitedly. "Is the picture developed? Can I see-?" he asked, then made a slight muffled noise as she performed an impromptu check of his lauded, perfect teeth. Perfect they were, and in that proximity, her own teeth seemed to be bothering him more than ever. If he had ever been willing to cut her some slack, even though she was so far from his perfect ideal, that allowance was long gone and replaced by a mixture of annoyance and a growing sense of duty to fix her. "Speaking of dental work, that's quite a bite you have there. Perhaps we should take this break to set you down on the table for a moment and-" he smirked, grabbing her own cheek and pressing a thumb against the source of his disdain, her upper row of teeth.

At that moment, Calistheti finally returned, carrying the medicine she was supposed to retrieve. Pharmaceuti ported in right behind her, but thankfully, was more interested in the teeth examining scene than what Calistheti was holding. She wordlessly popped a pill, as if to ward off a panic attack.

Calistheti managed to speak up. "Is this the shoot?" she asked, before another navi popped in behind her.

The navi in question was a terrifying, bloody vision compared to the others. Her hair was similarly colored but long, rolled, or rather, stuffed, into a surgeon's cap. Her scrubs would look similar to the others, were they not spattered with data, mostly red, but including other colors as well from the various viscera of other navi types. Compared to the others, she had dead-looking eyes, and her mouth was completely covered by a surgical mask. A large bonesaw occupied one of her hands and a small cooler occupied the other. The cooler was dripping with data.

Despite the horrific image, amazingly, Pharmaceuti didn't feel the need to pop another pill. "There you are Bonesaw. You've finally seen fit to join us. It's pretty insulting, that you think you're so much better than us and so successful that you don't need to join us in this advertising campaign!" the pharmacist fumed. That level of anger might be as bad for her as all the pills.

The other girl looked at the floor and didn't answer, instead sighing deeply. She looked to Hyde and lowered her eyebrows, then spoke quietly. "I need to take my shoot fast and get back to work. Is that okay? We can take it wherever you'd like. I'm not stripping to my underwear, though," she murmured.

"Well, uh, you can't take the shot looking like that! Other than all the gore, we still look about alike... I'm in enough trouble without people thinking my calisthenics treatment is some sort of murder trap," the sporty sister protested.

"... Can she take a shot, looking like that?" Bonesaw retorted, looking skeptical. "I'm not sure why the photographer is dressed like that..."

Oddly, PhotoMan and Psycholgi hadn't shown up, so Hyde still had the reins on where to go next. The remaining three sisters were all here and ready for a shoot, it seemed.

“Ooh, did we get it?” Hyde teased, playing with the lens on her camera. “Did you blink? I think you blinked, didn’t you? Hmhm… No, you’re probably fine,” she admitted, unstrapping the helmet at her chin. “I really don’t know how to check the picture for you, though. We’ll have to wait until PhotoBoy is back.”

Hyde gave Cosmo a big grin as they played with each other’s faces for a moment, not showing any shame about her distinct teeth while inviting him to explore them. She didn’t have any more interest in getting his smile than she did in making him smile, though, so she gladly turned her attention back to the sisters as they started pouring in. “Oh, Calistheti, you got the-“ she started, covering her mouth with her hand for a sudden stop and smiling. “The Bonesaw!” She pulled the helmet off of her head and held it in the crook of her arm, using her left hand to give her scrunched-up hat an ineffective touch-up. “I’d heard you weren’t coming. Well, it’ll be difficult to pencil you in, but when you show up looking so bloody adorable and with a heart in your hands, how can I say no?”

Hyde skipped over towards the group, past the two sisters she’d met and up to the new acquaintance, leaning in towards Bonesaw without regards to the state she’d arrived in. “Well, you know what kind of shoot we’re doing, don’t you? We’re doing what sells! But if you’re not stripping down, dear, I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got. Since you’re in a hurry, let’s go ahead and get yours done. A shot in your office or operating theater should be the best advertising! Lead the way, would you?”

As Hyde waited for the other doctor to do so, she turned to Calistheti, giving her a wink. We’ll do Pharmaceuti’s after that, okay? You can hold on until then, right?” she asked, winking again. “Oh, and did you happen to see PhotoMan on the way? I wonder if he decided to schedule a private consultation with your lovely sister, heehee!” she giggled. She didn’t think that was likely, considering how Psychologi had seemed to be a little much for him. It was easier to imagine she’d detained him somehow.

… She paused, remembering Pharmaceuti was actually supposed to retrieve PhotoMan, but hadn’t done so. In any case, Hyde was so tickled with her imagination of PhotoMan and Psychologi getting up to business in her office that she decided not to ask. Instead, she decided to send him a message:

Quote

Paging PhotoMan? Are you still among the living? Most of us are heading over to Bonesaw’s office, if you care to join for some more free medical professional eye candy!

"Your bedside manner needs work! You just about gave me a heart attack with that mere suggestion," Cosmo sighed, then flashed his teeth and joked. "Of course, even if I did, there are plenty of doctors here that could help with that. Though I wonder if any of them could help with that..."

"Of course I could! My heart medicine is very effective," Pharmaceuti bristled, already rifling through her coat for the right medicine.

"... After the heart attack?" Cosmo asked, incredulously.

Bonesaw wore a concerned expression as she looked between her sisters, her single brother, and her photographer. Something on her face and in her sigh seemed to say "of course, we'd get a photographer like this." It was true that, among this mad menagerie of doctors, Hyde fit in perhaps a bit better than most places, apart from her appearance, which didn't match that of the other doctors so nearly as they did each other. "My workplace... really isn't the best place for a photoshoot. But I don't have an office apart from that..." she mumbled, looking at the floor with an uncertain expression.

"True, the only worse one is Psychologi's," Calistheti agreed.

"Ah, but we'd break theme if we did it anywhere else, given that we've used workspaces for the past two. Let's do it in your office, yes?" Cosmo suggested, with a smile on his face that probably wouldn't erase Hyde's memory of the fact that he wanted his photo to come out better than that of his sisters'. "I'm sure it will be the most natural there."

Bonesaw's sour expression seemed to suggest that she disagreed, but she submitted. "Let's head there. I'll switch the gate," she informed the others, before turning the knob on the warp gate they'd used earlier. She stepped in first.

Calistheti hung behind the others a bit, since Hyde had a question for her. "PhotoMan? Oh, come to think of it, he hasn't turned up in yet, huh? No, I didn't see him in Pharmaceuti's office," she pointed out. "Sheesh... Some photographer, huh? Where is he, slacking off and making you do all the work? If you ask me, guys tend to be a little lazier than girls when it comes to work ethic. Like my patients... if they're men, you wouldn't think they'd be so upset when I tell them they ought to do pushups and crunches! Really?" she ranted on, perhaps showing a different side of herself. "That photographer looked like he could do with a couple pushups himself."

That aside, the two continued on to Bonesaw's office which was, simply put, a horror. If Psychologi's was R rated for sexual content, this one was the same for blood. Navi data of all kinds, whether red or green or actual fragments of navi, was scattered all over the floor and on the big, metal slabs she used for patients. Those slabs were mostly curtained off, but enough were open for Hyde to get a gist of the grisly scene inside of them. Leather straps for the hands and feet were also included... and atop many of them were scattered tools, including amputation saws, bandages, and other devices that looked to be designed for pinching, pulling, holding open, sewing shut, and all sorts of other tasks that could easily make one lose their lunch, adding more navi bodily contents to the floor of the horrible room.

Worse yet, the place was pretty dimly lit. There appeared to be cabinets and racks full of more tools on one side of the room and a small, metal office desk on the other side, with a lamp for extra light and a few scattered papers, as well as rags for wiping down. Perhaps for that reason, the papers and things on the desk seemed comparatively clean. It was probably the only sanitary place to take a photo in this whole room. "I apologize... I've had patients today and haven't had a chance to do clean-up," Bonesaw pointed out. As if in punctuation, a loud, male groan came from behind one of the curtains. Apparently, she actually still had a patient. She walked over quickly and stuck her head in. "Is it holding on?" The answer was inaudible. "Good. Okay. We're going to be doing some other work in here. I'll try to keep the noise down. Please, try to rest. It will fall off again if you move too much before the glue sets and I have a chance to apply the cast."

As she stepped back toward them, PhotoMan reappeared, though he looked very pale and as though he might faint from the sight of the room. "I figured it would be faster if I just came to you, Hyde. I must admit... I was not bold enough to leave the hiding space I'd chosen until you told me you'd joined Bonesaw for a photoshoot," he confessed, hanging his head slightly.

Bonesaw didn't look particularly put off by that and shook her head. "I can understand why you're shocked. After all... I hadn't done clean-up yet," she reiterated, perhaps implying that once she did, her appearance would be significantly nicer. However... by the looks of it, navi data was caked onto just about everything, from her own gear to just about everything apart from the desk and rags in her workspace. It was hard to imagine it ever came off. "So, Hyde, I'd like to do this quickly. Where should we start? And everyone else, feel free to take a seat wherever you like."

"Where is a decent place to take a seat in this...?" Cosmo asked, looking a little squeamish himself. Calistheti rolled her eyes at his comment. Before they went anywhere, though, they'd need to know what space Hyde needed for her shoot.

Hyde nodded along with Cosmo’s insistence. Naturally, she could use context clues to guess how ill-suited Bonesaw’s office would probably be for this sort of photoshoot: of course, for the twisted doctor, that was part of the point. “True, true. This whole scheme will fall apart if we don’t take the shoots in the appropriate places. We want customers lining up and visiting the offices to point out the various furniture the medical professionals they saw on the Net were draped over. It’s very, very important to my creative vision as well,” she added, putting her hands into two “L” shapes again and pantomiming a camera box. “Let’s see. For you, I’m thinking the charm point is…” she tapered off, beginning to strafe around Bonesaw and crouch lower as she walked. Suddenly, she stood straight again and clapped her hands, grinning broadly. “Let’s wait and see, okay?”

Hopefully, that would get Bonesaw walking ahead so that Hyde could hang behind and spaeak to Calistheti privately. “Oh, I definitely agree. So good to find hard help these days! Or, hm, you know what I mean,” she added with a flourish of her hand, beginning to step forward. “Well, I’ll be counting on you for that special ticket to even your sister out later,” Hyde told her, crossing her arms as she stepped into the teleporter. “It’ll all be worth it when the customers start pouring in.”

Hyde found herself in the next gruesome office, another space which ought to provide some easy suggestion of how its occupying doctor could make changes to increase their business. For Hyde, however, the challenge presented was how to turn it into appropriate (or hilariously inappropriate) backdrop for a sexy photoshoot, especially when her target hadn’t consented to dressing down. It might be fun to try and wrestle garments from her anyway, but that wasn’t really Hyde’s style.

Still… even in this mindset, Hyde was a medical professional. She didn’t know if things were as unsanitary as they looked, and she didn’t know if Bonesaw’s programming was vulnerable to infection from contact… but considering the medical scrubs and the mask, it was a possibility. Striking out every surface with too much gore on it to consider left a very limited selection. She was just starting to get her ideas together when PhotoMan re-appeared. She giggled at his confession. “Haha, but as you can see, Bonesaw is perfectly harmless! Why, she’s a sharp doctor on the cutting edge of her field! The bleeding edge, you might say! Ah, but listen to me gushing,” she finally finished. “Let’s cuddle, deary. I mean, huddle!” she corrected herself, pulling him in close and leading him from the others. “Creative meeting.”

Hyde leaned in even closer to speak in a conspiring whisper. “Bonesaw here, unfortunately, is a little more reserved then her siblings and isn’t on board with the getting down to skivvies. My task is to make a sexy shot in spite of that, but I’ve got a surprise for when I get my hands on her… It’s going to take teamwork, okay? Now, while I honestly think it would be better if you handled my part, I can tell you’re not at one hundred right now.” She said this, giving a sympathetic smile and pat-patting his shoulder. “So, you’re going to run interference. Act like you’re composing the shot. Tell Bonesaw to go to her desk and face away towards her office, away from the operating theater. You stand where she’s looking and don’t let her look this way, while you talk about the shot. Make sure she puts her hands palms down on the desk and leans over it… besides that, you can do what you want. Run along! Don’t worry, nobody’s going to be hurt, I promise.” Hyde fluttered her eyelashes and pat him a couple more times. Of course, having shown him what she had, there was no guarantee PhotoMan would go along with it unless she explained more; in that case, she’d go into detail about what she was about to do. And if that somehow didn’t sell him on the idea, she’d just have to think up a plan B.

Assuming she was able to get him on board, Hyde stood with her arms crossed, surveying the room in a pacing circle as though looking for inspiration. In reality, all Hyde was looking for was a chance, making sure her pacing circle frequently let her observe PhotoMan and Bonesaw’s position. If she saw an opportunity, with Bonesaw looking away, she would gleefully dash for a bucket of drained gore she’d spotted earlier. With madness glinting in her eyes from the dark part of the room, Hyde would put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture for any of the other doctors watching her, sliding the helmet back onto her head. She would then plunge her hands in to the doubtlessly unsanitary pail. The doctor would slide her hands out to minimize any splashing noise, then begin a silent glide towards the two at the desk, her legs moving in exaggerated bows as her white grin flashed and colorful hands dripped.

Assuming she wasn’t caught red-handed before she could reach her target, Hyde would finally slide in towards her target. With a manic “Honk honk!” she would goose Bonesaw, clapping one hand onto each cheek of her behind and playing with them, aiming to leave a suggestive stain and, while not trying to pants her target, perhaps displace her scrubs a bit and get a hint of band showing at the waist. The recommendation to have Bonesaw keep her hands on her desk was to put her in a mindset that would stop her from moving quickly and flexibly. Still, there would be a strong chance that she was about to offer a horse kick in retribution. Hyde needed to be wary of both retaliation and of Bonesaw turning around too quickly. Therefore, without wasting too much time, she would slide back on the floor to get a low angle series of rapid shots of her target in the affected state, hoping even in the crazy part of her mind that this part of the floor close to Bonesaw’s desk was clean (Hyde wouldn’t bother to check beforehand).

Whether she got away with her plan or got some free, unauthorized dental work, Hyde would cackle, holding up her hands in either a plea for mercy or a taunt, depending on your perspective. “Ahahaha, bloody good fun, wouldn’t you say?! It’d be so nice if you could let me know where I can scrub down, my dear…~”

From Bonesaw to Calistheti, then even up to PhotoMan, each of the navis Hyde addressed had a hard time addressing her manic energy. PhotoMan in particular was pulled along with her, making a dull frown and clicking noises inside his head that heavily implied he was having a harder time getting over the gore than she was. No amount of timely puns and jokes would soothe his misgivings.

On the bright side, Hyde was right on the money about how the pale photographer was likely to react, that being with absolute compliance to whatever idea got them out of this operating theater the fastest. "Yes. That should be simple," he agreed, all too quickly pacing back towards Bonesaw. "Excuse me, we are ready to begin the shoot. We think that your office space is best acclimated. Please head over this way and face the corner. If you're willing, I would like you to place your hands atop the desk's surfacd and lean forward towards the corner," he explained, seeming the consummate professional.

Like a magician, Hyde had successfully diverted everyone's attention to the gorey sister and the photography specialist... except for Cosmo who, having been on the losing end of Hyde's tricks recently, knew better than to let her out of his sight. He watched skeptically, but, despite being shushed, he began shaking his head back and forth frantically and crossed his arms into an x shape as she went for the bucket. When her hands plunged in, he didn't call out for anyone's attention...

.. But he got it anyway, as he stained the data ridden floor further with a splash of vomit. "Gross!" Calistheti complained. "Go wait outside you big baby-"

PhotoMan, from his vantage point, had begun watching Hyde on her silent, speedy approach, and began shaking his head "no" as well. He was still on the other side of Bonesaw in close quarters, trying to keep her attention towards the corner. She became suspicious as well, but it was too late: Hyde clapped both hands on from behind and gave her a squeeze that doubled as a shove.

The girl didn't kick or protest, but instead let out a womanly grasp that would have been nice audio to go with the picture. Her body ended up shoved forward into PhotoMan's, with him scrambling to catch her, ending up with one hand who knows where and the other at her waist. The scrubs rode up just a bit to reveal her pale, slender back, with just a hint of a black band showing with a cherry red color beneath, which would make one especially curious about the whole garment. With PhotoMan in the shot, albeit with his face hidden, the photos carried with them the strong impression that he was the one who'd left the suggestive handprints, even though his hands were not stained.

Bonesaw pushed away quickly, making a sullen face. She looked back to PhotoMan bashfully, as if accusing him of being too direct... then frowned harder as she realized that, rather than returning the gesture or even apologizing, he was frantically wiping at himself, having come into contact with the girl's bloody apron. "Yes, a shower, please, immediately," he spoke, as frantically as his monotone drawl would let him go.

"Me three," Cosmo heaved.

"Of course... There are two single showers and one larger shower near the back there, curtained off. Be sure to open only those curtains... you won't like what's behind the others," she recommended, looking very miffed. "Do I get to see the pictures? I can't imagine they turned out very well in all that chaos."

Though, for what they were intended to be, they'd probably gone as well as anyone could have hoped.

"Clean off quick, Hyde; I'm ready to work on the last two," Calistheti rushed the newbie photographer, showing no particular misgivings about what had just transpired. In the background, Pharmaceuti was babbling, grabbing up all the clean towels she could find to wipe up the vomit spill, as if that was less sanitary than Hyde's fully submerging her hands in unknown navi "blood."

Cosmo had already disappeared inside one of the single showers. From what Hyde could see, they all looked pretty grisly... the kind of nasty shower floors that made you want to stand in a particular spot to avoid stepping in something. PhotoMan was standing outside, undecided whether he wanted to risk something other than water coming out of the drains or if he would rather just towel off. Hyde could use this time to get clean, but she may also be able to use this time for something work focused.

“Oooh, that’s good,” Hyde gushed mostly to herself, biting her lip and squirming on the floor. “Aah, I wish I’d gone further…! But, no time for that now. Yes, the shower will serve. Calistheti, I’ve had a good idea. I’d like to do the rest of the photoshoots in this office!” she declared, grinning and glancing around the operation room for reactions. “Haha, just a little joke.” Seeing Pharmaceuti pre-occupied and Calistheti free, Hyde walked over to her. “I just had a very nice idea. Since your sister might need some help with her shoot, why not take her on over to your office and have her use a treadmill there? I’m assuming you have one. She can work up a flush and sweat that might give an erotic effect.”

The doctor leaned closer, her eyes flaring intently. “That might be difficult to do for her as she is now, so why don’t you be a dear and hold her coat for her? You could make sure her pills don’t get mixed up, right?” she spoke softly to Calistheti alone, then began sauntering over to the shower. “I’m counting on you, Calistheti! I’ll see two in your office when I’m done, okay?”

Hyde glanced at Bonesaw bemusedly as she walked, casually shrugging down the suspenders that had been protecting her modesty before even reaching the showers, hiding her chest with one arm. She noticed the room’s surgeon hadn’t taken any of the showers for herself. Could it be she wasn’t fully aware of the mark Hyde had left on her? The thought amused Hyde, and she definitely wasn’t going to bring it up herself. “I think this shower’s big enough for two, if someone wants…” she spoke to no one in particular, allowing her shorts to shimmy past her wide hips and onto the floor as she stepped out of them and behind the curtain. Naturally, she didn’t take the helmet off.

Once she was actually inside, however, she did so, peeling off her socks and then unzipping her remaining undergarment and leaving them all in the neatest pile she could. Finally, she took off her hat, setting it gingerly down as her eyes settled and she ran the shower.

The doctor ran her hands through her hair, humming a sweet tune idly and giving her body a quick rinse. As she started to take stock of her surroundings, however, her smile started to fade. ”I’m in… someone else’s shower?” Deciding she was clean enough, the doctor turned the knob off and glanced at the pile she’d brought in, a flush rising to her face as she did so. “Ah… um… excuse me? PhotoMan? Somebody? I don’t seem to have a towel… or, um… most of my clothing… If I could get a bit of help…”

If there was no response, Hyde would peek her nervous face through the curtain, scanning to see if anyone was still in the room. If the others had already left, she’d consider if she was going to have to scamper to collect the things she’d requested herself…

Calistheti smirked, indicating she immediately called the joke for what it was. "I'm glad your hair-brained scheme worked out, but trying to find other decent places to shoot a photo in here would be a little more than hair-brained, it'd be a lost cause!" Calistheti pointed out, gesturing towards the bucket of nasty gore that Hyde had just dipped her hands in. Beyond that, if Hyde had been banking on Calistheti's excitement over physical fitness to outweigh any concerns she had about Hyde's intentions in making her sister look erotic, her gambit paid off; Calistheti's eyes immediately lit up. "That's a great idea! The treadmill will get her fired up," she agreed, ready to run off and grab her sister. She sort of absent-mindedly nodded about the rest. It was hard to tell if she'd clearly gotten the message. One thing was for sure, though: Pharmaceuti was most likely treadmill-bound.

Calistheti led her sister out through the room's single portal. This left Bonesaw shaking her head, rearranging the messy office space which had been the only neat place in the room before she'd been bumped into it. Cosmo had already dashed into one of the showers and was in the middle of cleaning his own mess off of himself. PhotoMan stood staring at the gore-speckled curtain and suspicious floor of one of the showers with a pale face, as he tried to decide whether he'd be cleaner with or without the shower. He turned his head at Hyde's approach; his head began clicking as she removed her suspenders and clicking faster as her shorts fell. He opened his mouth to say something, just as the shower curtain closed behind her. The sound of the clicking would continue, as he perhaps pondered whether to take her up on the offer. The photographer had never been an expedient decision-maker.

Outside, his look turned to mild confusion as he heard Hyde humming to herself. Gulping, he began to reach out the hand for the curtain, only to be interrupted as a meek voice inside requested a towel. "Oh, yes. Let me try to find a clean one," he murmured..

From the next shower over, Cosmo spoke up. "I'm beginning to get the sense you need Psychologi's services even more than you need me to perform cosmetic dental surgery," he quipped, punctuated by the sound of his shower spicket squeaking shut. "Let me ask you: do you think that we can really publish these photos and drum up business? I think I may have been going along with it just for the sake of boredom and my ego, but just to remind you, it is also pretty genuinely important that this goes well. I hope you aren't playing us all for fools..."

Hyde would have a moment to respond before PhotoMan returned. Bonesaw had handed him a set of surprisingly fresh looking white, body-sized towels. He stood outside the room for a moment, staring sullenly, before summoning up his courage and pulling the curtain open, stepping inside the two-person shower as he did so. "I've brought you these. I'd like to discuss your strategy for the next shoot as well, if you don't mind. I thought we might also discuss that potential photoshoot with you yourself, Hyde," he would greet her, offering forward the stack of towels and making no attempt to avert his eyes. He probably thought he was being bold and rising to the challenge of Hyde's tease, but Hyde could be forgiven for throwing his helmet back at his face, that being the toughest throwing item in the room. If she wasn't already shocked by his rise to that challenge, the rise elsewhere would certainly be alarming enough in magnitude to alarm her.

Once she was done with shenanigans here, there'd be no reason not to move on to the teleport pad to reach the next room. It was already set for Calistheti's office, presumably. Bonesaw would call after, simply asking: "do you need me for anything further? I do still have patients to attend to..." It seemed that her schedule was a little harder to clear than it was for the other sisters' (and single brother).

Hyde stood in the spacious shower, noticing as if for the first place how few walls there were she actually wanted to rest on and sighing. “Yes, naturally. You’re paying me to do a job, and I know you could certainly rescind your offer of payment it wasn’t due. More than anything, your group simply needs a way to stand out among the competition.” She sounded surprisingly convinced about this, as though she hadn’t been wreaking mischievous mayhem only moments earlier.

“Does it?” Jacky’s voice shocked her through a private line. “I’ve only been half paying attention, but it seems far more likely that the issue with these doctors is how far they’ve let their personal quirks affect their practice. Again, I’m not fully aware, but it seems to me each of them was probably originally identical to the others. Now, they’ve buried themselves in their specializations and taken on traits that would surely create friction for the average consumer.”

“I think that might be unkind,” Hyde responded weakly, shrinking into herself a bit.

“It requires no imagination,” Jacky continued, speaking without looking at the monitor as she scanned a book with her eyes. “Psychologi sees and speaks only sexual depravity. Cosmo holds himself as a preposterous standard of beauty. Pharmaceuti clearly has no restraint in properly balancing a reasonable schedule of medication and appears, herself, addicted to her prescriptions. Bonesaw has dulled herself to gore that would make ordinary Navis faint.”

“And Calistheti?” Hyde interrupted with some defensiveness.

“You truly can’t tell? Well, right, your awareness is affected by your condition,” Jacky retorted, adjusting her glasses and looking at the screen with some sympathy. “I don’t think it’s any stretch to imagine Calistheti has unrealistic expectations for standards of fitness and/or the viability of physical training to improve Navis. When you get to her office, you’ll surely see the same.”

“That’s-“ Hyde continued, perhaps about to reconsider and agree before PhotoMan stepped into her shower, causing her to start and attempt to cover her breasts and womanhood with her hands. Still sopping wet, the doctor stammered and glowed red, squirming as she sought to find a way to protect her modesty and found none. She wanted to slap him and send him on his way, but found she couldn’t…

”I can’t…? My arm won’t…?” she thought to herself, now vexed as well as mortified as she considered it. ”Well… I suppose that makes sense, after all… nevermind, nevermind! The situation! Deal with the situation,” she reminded herself, feeling the cold drip off of her and shaking her head.

With effort, she met PhotoMan’s eyes, still completely flushed as she tried and failed to make an approximation of a calm smile. “W-w-would you mind, quite quickly, wrapping me with one of those towels, and then, please, exiting w-with all quickness, please?” she squeaked. If he would, she’d keep herself covered until the absolute last moment she had to move a limb, turning in place if he made an effort to get behind her.

With any luck, PhotoMan would comply, as Hyde couldn’t make her body move to force him out and she still had to dry off. Assuming she was able to become alone and dry, the Navi would quickly get into as many of her articles of clothing as she could, noting that PhotoMan had brought towels but omitted those. Once she’d gotten the rest, she’d finish assembling as much of her outfit as she could, giving Bonesaw a terse “no thank you, that will be all” as she walked stiffly and briskly to the teleporter. For better or worse, Jacky’s words had been blown out of Hyde’s mind by her own situation, so she simply had to continue with the plan.

PhotoMan held his bold stare for a moment longer before his at times tenuous grasp on gentlemanly decorum won over, causing him to avert his eyes. "I clearly misunderstood you earlier," he spoke bluntly, although he sounded a little passive aggressive; evidently, he felt he'd been teased and made a fool of, reading too far into a joke. "Please accept these towels and my apologies."

His first thought, to smooth things over, was to do as she asked and help her into a towel. Assuming the most modest way to do that would be from the back, like you might do in a movie, he attempted to angle around Hyde to the other side, only to find that she continuously turned to face him. His head began to click, possibly with agitation this time. "Hyde, I'm a professional. Not to diminish your situation, but I do this sort of thing all the time. Please be calm," he grouchily attempted to calm her, though his hesitance earlier seemed to imply he knew what he was doing was risque.

Finally, still keeping his eyes turned upward, he managed to get the towel around Hyde, tying it with nothing more than a brief touch of his gloves to the wet flesh between her shoulder blades. The rest of the exit to the next (final?) office was fairly brief and no-nonsense, leaving Bonesaw to clean up and Cosmo to take a long shower, perhaps proportional to the revulsion he felt at Hyde's earlier antics.

--------------

The next office was perhaps the most photogenic that Hyde would have thus far encountered, with a poppy, pink wallpaper and white tiling to the floor. It was interesting to imagine that everyone's may have once looked that way, or, perhaps, considering its larger size, that all of their medical theatrics once took place here. Now, the space had been put to questionable use with all manner of increasingly difficult looking, physically strenuous workout machines. Calistheti was effortlessly utilizing an unbelievably fast treadmill speed. She was still dressed in her exact same garb from earlier, working up only a light sweat despite the obnoxious pace of her workout. Jackie had indeed been right on the money, visualizing what this office would look like.

Pharmaceuti, on the other hand, was on the verge of death, lying upon a large, hot-pink exercise mat flat on her back, with an exercise ball rolling away somewhere in the distance and shake-weights scattered around her. One could only imagine what type of exercise they'd gotten up to. She'd dressed down to just a set of gray yoga pants and a black exercise top with a white striped down one side., with shoes matching Calistheti's, but in a white color. Her glasses were crooked on her face and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. "Med... medic..." she muttered, as though she really was dying.

Instead, she reached over to her coat draped over a weight bench and grabbed another pill bottle, along with a water bottle, double-fisting them to chug each in turn. There was no way such a regiment would be healthy, even if she was in her right mind, and even if the contents of her pill bottles hadn't, presumably, been swapped for questionable substances earlier. "Stupid... navis... don't need... exercise!" Pharmaceuti complained, already beginning to feel whatever the effect of the pills were to a degree amplified by the number of pills she'd just munched.

"Uuuh, your stamina says otherwise, Sis," Calistheti remarked.

"Ha! Not so. Actually, I'm already feeling invigorated by just a small dosage of my trademark blend of carefully tested, exactly measured pharmaceuticals," she announced, seeing the others entering. She adjusted her glasses with a smirk, starting to look herself again... maybe. One might doubt how her pills could be correctly dosed as handfulls, but more so, Hyde may be aware that an additional effect ought to be kicking in any time now. At this point, though, she'd probably want to slap the two girls somewhere in the room, take a photo, and be done with it all.

PhotoMan's frown and clicking noises seemed to imply he was still trying to decide if he could get his hopes up again. He turned his head slightly towards Hyde again, raising one eyebrow. He had no idea what to expect from her mood swings at this point.

Hyde had to admit to herself that there was a certain sense in acknowledging PhotoMan’s insistence that she accept his familiarity with the nude female form as part of his job. She was much the same in her work as a doctor… ”But that is work and this is not,” she reminded herself, continuing to train her concerned eyes on PhotoMan’s own and make sure he was keeping everything above the shoulders.

With the detour complete, Hyde headed to the teleporter with as much of her clothing as she could muster. She carried her disgraced hat and helmet combo under her arm as she entered the teleporter.

When she did reach the other side, Hyde’s medical instincts kicked in immediately causing her to rush to Pharmaceuti’s side. Much to her surprise, the pharmacist’s own peculiar medical instincts were even quicker as Pharmaceuti self-medicated immediately. The speed with which pills emerged from the bottle and disappeared into the other Navi’s gullet with water to chase was so quick Hyde couldn’t even confirm if Pharmaceuti had gotten the… ”Gotten the what? Oh, yes, EZDZAC… and ANTIDZ,” she reminded herself. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what the effect would be if Calistheti had actually replaced all of the medicine Pharmaceuti was carrying with those drugs. ”EZDZAC is intended as an aphrodisiac. Unless primed with another drug, its effects should be very mild… I accounted for the massive quantity that she would likely intake inadvertently. As long as she isn’t making a meal of them, it should only help keep her focused on and open to the shoot. There is a… mild laxative effect, on a time delay… she’d only see that later, but if she’s ingesting ANTIDZ, that should be negated entirely. ANTIDZ almost never has side effects, with the only drawback being the unpleasant taste… But I strongly suspect she isn’t even tasting her medicine,” she noted, frowning. ”None of that medicine should have a strong stamina recovery effect. Is some medicine left that is creating that effect… or is her dependence on medicine truly so powerful that she gets a sort of energy placebo effect? I have to admit, this would actually be interesting to study…”

Now wasn’t the time for that, though. As much as Pharmaceuti had gotten herself looking erotic and sprawled out, they were actually here for Calistheti’s shoot. She took her hat out of the helmet and brushed it off on her leg while handing the helmet back to PhotoMan. “I believe you should be in fair shape to carry out the next bit, correct? Calistheti may have a number of charm points, but I believe I know one pose that will capture a number at once, let’s try this. If we put her on a bench butterfly press, with some attractive gymwear for the bottom and a censoring towel across the shoulders… and it would perhaps be more erotic if she were being refreshed from a water bottle at the same time. In any case, I feel the primary focus should be the abs, biceps, and/or armpits.” Hyde rattled all of this off at an impressive clip. While she couldn’t understand or admit it, Jackie’s earlier criticism had lit a fire under her to make her own method work. “There’s just one wrinkle…”

She approached Calistheti and frowned, cupping her hands to the side of her mouth to try and shout over the insane treadmill. “Calistheti!! For your shoot, I’m thinking of taking your photo on a butterfly press!! Just a couple of things!! One, do you have some cute or sexy gym shorts you could wear?! Two, can you give yourself a tough enough workout on the butterfly press to make yourself sweat?! You somehow seem to have a high tolerance!!” she shouted, trying to imagine herself doing what Calistheti was while similarly dressed and failing.