Aster was surprised at how health-conscious Kylan had become in the few years they had not seen each other.

Last week, while Dr. Kuracisto and Aster had saved his life, they were trying to administer repair serum to his body, but he asked twenty different questions about it. He didn't trust "modern medicine" and feared that if he changed his body too much it would weaken his powers. Aster heard the common idea repeated among Weavers but didn't think it would make Kylan so paranoid.

After convincing him to at least take the repair serum and not take the nano-bots, Kylan's arm and ankle slowly repaired, but he had to come in for the next three days.

He was one of the first patients at the grand opening of La Rando Health Center.

Its name made it sound much bigger and grander than it was.

It was a small health clinic for those in The Pit who couldn't get to a doctor or afford doctors for specific treatments. It was small, with white wooden slates, blue-tinted windows, and a friendly kato with a smile next to the LED logo on the front of the clinic. The mayor of La Rando came to the event, with silly giant scissors, and cut a giant ribbon in the front, making a show of how a new era of equality would begin in Aria, the health clinic being the center of it.

Aster sat at the front desk, taking in patient names on a computer when Kylan and several men and women rushed through the glass front door. They were all covered in sweat and some of them were covered in blood, all coming from two people in the group.

"Whoa, what's going on here," Aster shouted.

"WE NEED A DOCTOR! YOU'RE A DOCTOR, ASTER," Kylan shouted. "HELP!"

"Iamnotadoctor," Aster said in one breath. "But let's get you guys seen first."

"Only two of us are hurt," a woman said. "It's Moxie and Silver."

She pointed to the woman with spiked purple hair that was bleeding profusely from his abdomen and pointed to another man with long silver hair, his body covered in tattoos.

Aster was sure these were not their real names but tried to remember his training.

You don't judge the patient.

You're here to save them.

He pressed a red button on a specialty watch made for work, and a team of employees came rushing to the front lobby. People waiting were frightened by the unsavory patients that walked inside and some of them left. Others who were brave enough to stay watched in morbid curiosity as the hospital staff rushed Moxie and Silver off to get blood transfusions and stitches.

"What happened," Aster asked Kylan.

He took out his light plate and Digi-Pen and tried to take notes to pass on to his coworkers but Kylan was not helpful with his information.

"What do you mean!? They got stabbed," Kylan shouted.

"When? How long ago? Is there any metal still left in their bodies," Aster asked. "What type of knives are they?"

Stolen novel; please report.

"Nah we pulled it out and threw away the knives. They're the ones with the ridges on them?"

"A serrated knife!? How did they get stabbed and how long ago? We need to know-"

Kylan came closer to Aster, and he looked quite ominous his hands, shirt, and some of his pants covered in blood while he smiled.

"They stabbed each other," Kylan said. "No one's pressing charges."

Their friends nodded in unison and Aster could not believe that two men who were friends would randomly stab each other, but judging by the rough clothing and manners of Kylan's friends, Aster decided to let it go for now. He pressed submit on the light plate, and the information about the incident was sent to the healthcare team.

"Is there a bathroom I can use? I got blood all over," Kylan complained.

"I think you will just need new clothes. We have some in the back."

Those with too much blood on themselves used the community showers and the free clothes in the back for the homeless who would sometimes wander through the area. They were all given the same outfits, a white shirt with the clinic's logo on the shirt, and black shorts. They seemed more like normal people concerned for their friends until their behavior in the lobby became horrid.

One of them smoked in the lobby, the other threatened him to stop smoking in a hospital, or else, and now another stabbing between a group of friends was possibly going to occur.

Aster had enough.

"Get out," Aster shouted. "All of you! You can come back in a few hours to check on them!"

Kylan and his friends got up to leave but Aster grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Not you. Stay, please. Just sit in the chair and wait for me to finish my shift in thirty minutes."

Kylan sat in a yellow chair near a window and sulked. A young girl sitting with her mother a seat away looked at him and tried to cheer him up.

"It's ok. Time out isn't that bad after a while," she said. "Just think of something nice!"

Kylan did not see it as a punishment until she said it was, and now he was embarrassed. He took the girl's advice and thought of what he would eat for dinner while Aster finished his shift.

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

When Aster was done, he led Kylan behind the clinic and tried to pry more information out of him.

"What are you doing with these people," Aster asked.

"Spending time with them," Kylan replied.

"Who are they!?"

"A group of like-minded individuals that believe in social change," Kylan said proudly.

Aster clutched his fist and brought it to his chest, now deeply concerned.

"Are you in a cult," Aster whispered. "You can tell me. It's okay."

"WHAT! NO! I WOULD NEVER JOIN A CULT!"

"Oh good, I-"

"IF ANYTHING, I WOULD BE A CULT LEADER," Kylan proclaimed.

"That's not better. In fact, that's worse. Please find better friends," Aster replied. "You're better than this."

"Better than what!?"

Kylan was now aggressive. He didn't like anyone challenging his ideals or his group, and Aster was close to being on the shortlist.

"Your friends didn't stab each other. Are you in a gang," Aster asked. "I know people join if they need money. I can help."

He put his hand on Kylan's shoulder, and Aster's need to help others had made him not think clearly about how dangerous Kylan had become.

Kylan decided a half-truth was better than the whole truth or a lie. He pretended to be ashamed and tried looking his hardest to be sad.

"Yeah, I am, I'm so sorry," Kylan said. "I left school my last year because I had issues, y'know?"

"We have resources here to help you get your degree," Aster said.

"Ah yeah, the posters on the clinic walls," Kylan mumbled. "I'm okay. I think I'm fine where I am now."

"You need to leave! Today it's them getting stabbed, and tomorrow it's you!"

Kylan shrugged. He wasn't good at pretending to show remorse or shame for very long. He was more interested in leaving now than being preached at. He turned to leave and Aster again stopped him.

"Wait! How can I convince you to leave," Aster asked.

"You can't."

"I'm serious! Anything!"

Kylan racked his mind and tried to find an impossible task, something Aster would never agree to so he would leave his "gang".

"Come hang out with us tonight. They would love to meet the doctor that helped Moxie and Silver."

"I'm not a- never mind. I'll come."

Kylan leered at him in suspicion and decided to call his bluff. He took a burner phone from his pocket, put in Aster's new number, and told him he'd let him know when they were meeting.

"We only announce when the meeting is happening an hour ahead of time," Kylan said. "Reasons."

"Completly normal...of course...," Aster agreed.

Kylan left and Aster thought about bringing a knife from his kitchen just in case.