"Malnourishment...and lack of sleep."

Our Medical Officer is the eldest member of this expedition, and one of the most pleasant, as well. Cole Mann, commonly known as 'Doc', was slightly overweight, balding, and almost always had an easy, calming smile on his face. Which was probably the only reason Cinder allowed him to look her over, aside from my own presence in the room.

Thankfully, his office doesn't have the typical smell of antiseptic I automatically associate with all things medical. Instead, the scent of stale coffee and old books was what filled the air in the room. Not an entirely unpleasant alternative, I suppose.

"Not entirely unexpected." I remarked quietly, to which Mann nodded in agreement. "...Is there anything else?"

"Miss Fall has….a few faded scars." Mann sighed. "..Although I cannot tell what caused them. There is a plus side."

"Oh?"

"There is no evidence to show that Miss Fall has suffered further injuries." The man offered Cinder a smile and stepped away, and the little girl almost instantly retreated back to my side. Mann sat down in his chair, and looked me in the eyes. "A small upside, true. But an upside nonetheless."

"That's something, I suppose." I replied with a sigh, trying not to think about the implications. "...Thanks Doc.."

The old man smiled. "You are very welcome, Archivist Schwartz. Now, may I suggest finding Miss Fall some more...suitable clothing? I very much doubt you'll avoid raised eyebrows if she's following you about in rags."

"Doc, where on Remnant do I find her clothes here?" I ask, half mocking, half serious. If there were clothes here, surely someone would have said already, right?

The man gave me an odd look, and sighed. "Strange as these circumstances are, Archivist, we do have a set plan in the event we need to transport children. There should be at least one change of clothes for Miss Fall in the laundry room. They'll be plain, but far better than what she's wearing now."

I blink.

"Well why the f-..udge am I only learning this now?!" I caught myself, no need to swear in front of a child, after all. "If I had known, I'd have-"

"Calm yourself, Archivist Schwartz." Doc raised his hands in a placating manner. "As I said, these circumstances are strange. I'd honestly be surprised if even a quarter of the people here are even aware of the fact we have spare clothes on this vessel."

I let out a frustrated sigh, and tried not to slump. "...I..apologise, for my tone, Doc."

"Think nothing of it." The older man let out a good natured laugh. "It is not the worst thing someone has said to me, not by a long way."

Whilst I am not surprised, I'll admit that I'm more than a little embarrassed. I always tried not to get angry or annoyed with any medical staff I'd met in my old..in my true world, but even I had slipped up once or twice. "Still, I apologise. You're only trying to help and I-"

"..Acted out of frustration. Which is entirely reasonable." Was Doc's reply. "Think no more of it, Archivist. Truly."

I nod, and let out a deep sigh. "...Will do D-"

"Mister Casper?" Cinder's small voice filled the room, cutting me off. "C-Can we eat soon? Please?"

Doc merely kept his smile. "Go on. Get this young lady fed, then come back here. I shall collect her clothes myself."

I smiled genuinely for the first time I entered the room. "...Thanks Do-..Thanks Cole, I'll owe you one."

"It is the very least I can do, Casper." He shrugged. "And I have little else to do right now."

I grinned, and squeezed Cinder's hand gently. "Come on then, Cinder. Let's get you fed."

"Yay!"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

When we entered the mess hall, the mouthwatering smell of freshly baked bread and hot food hit my nose. One of the few faunus on the expedition, Bruno, was head of the kitchen, and by the Brothers did he know how to cook. It wasn't the most glamourous of duties, but he was as competent as he was content, and given Ironwood had an absolute zero tolerance policy when it came to racism, he didn't need to worry about any snide comments about animals in the kitchen or the like. (The ever present threat that he would stop cooking for everyone also helped).

Cinder grasped my hand tighter as the wall of sound washed over us. In hindsight, entering a room full of strangers with someone that clearly is afraid of strangers might have been a poor idea.

Shooting her a reassuring smile, I led her to the back of the line. The sight of a child does get us some odd looks, but no one questions it. Cinder even received more cheerful waves from some of the soldiers. Whilst she didn't return any of them, she smiled in return, albeit shyly.

It entertained her long enough that we didn't interact until we reached the front of the line. I placed my own order, and turned to ask Cinder what she wanted, but was beaten to it.

"..And what can I get you, little lady?"

The young girl turned around from smiling at the soldiers to answer, and promptly froze at the sight of Bruno. Granted most people would if they came face to face with the seven foot tall goliath with very visible and sharp claws that runs our kitchen, but that didn't stop me seeing a flicker of disappointment in the man's eyes at her reaction.

So I do the only thing I can in this situation. I get down low to face Cinder properly, and smile. "Don't worry, little Cinder. Bruno might look fierce, but he's a big softie. Now come on, he's waiting for your order."

"Order?"

"What you want to eat, Cinder." I explained, before picking her up so she can see over the counter. "You have a choice. Beef stew with rice, which is what I am having. Macaroni Cheese. Sausages and mash potato with gravy...aaand what looks like vegetarian stir fry, if you are so inclined.

"Vegamaterian?" Cinder blinks. "...What does that mean, Mister Casper?"

..That answers that one. "It means you refrain from eating meat, Cinder."

"..Oh."

"If it helps, little lady." Bruno's voice cut in. "I can recommend the pasta today."

Whilst she didn't look him in the eye, Cinder actually answered

"U-Uhm….Mister Casper?" Cinder's voice is timid. "A-Are you sure I can eat this? M-Mama never let me eat grown-up food."

Don't ask what she means. You'll only regret it. Don't ask what she means.

"I'm sure, Cinder." I replied as I began eating. "Don't worry."

"It's hot." Came the still hesitant tone. "Mama never let me-"

Say nothing.

"Mhm." I smiled. "Try it."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she brought a small forkful of pasta to her mouth, and took a tentative bite of food.

Her eyes lit up, and she began to devour the bowl of food with gusto. This is probably a good thing, given how light she is. At least we now know she likes pasta.

However, as I continued to eat my meal, I couldn't help but think I've missed something. So I quickly went over a mental checklist: My armour and sidearm are stored away. Cinder's seen Doc. I've met with Ironwood. The letter….

Ah, the letter. The one from a certain someone that's almost certainly in Salem's pocket, in the 'Goddess' comment is anything to go by.

I probably should've given this to Ironwood.

What's the worst that cou- no. Nope. Not going down that route. Not tempting fate. I know how that usually ends up.

I'll drop it off later.