Jake just chuckled again.

"Well, it was appreciated, nonetheless." he told her, just as Nate stepped through the door.

"Hey Jake, I'm here to-" he started to say, before pausing, seeing Ashleigh there.

"Ah, you're the one here to help?" he asked.

"Yup." Ashleigh responded.

"She's cleared to enter." Jake told him.

"All right, this way then." Nate told Ashleigh with a smile.

Nate looked at her, and sighed.

"I was wondering about it." he admitted. "But I wasn't going to say anything about it." he told her. "For all I know, you're tired of always hearing those kinds of questions, so... I wasn't about to add to that potentially repetitive chorus." he reasoned.

"But the horns, ears, and wings are real, huh?" he asked.

"I see." he said.

"I... bet there's a story behind all of them." he mumbled further, shaking his head a little.

"And I bet the wings come in handy a lot." he then continued, but looked her over more closely.

"...also, you seem hurt." he noticed. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

Nate looked her over again, and smiled.

"Makes sense." he said. "You have a very vibrant and healthy aura." he told her.

He then turned away and kept walking with her... however, before Ashleigh could ask what he meant by that, he paused, and she saw the look of realisation in his eyes.

"...oh." he muttered.

"Right." he said. "I have the unique ability to see people's life-force. Or aura. Or whatever you want to call it." he explained. "At a glance, I can tell how generally healthy someone is, or... well, how long they may have left." he continued.

"And yes, you're in no danger, obviously, but I just wanted to make sure about the injuries you have." he then clarified.

"But a bounty hunter, huh? Must be exciting."

Nate just chuckled as well.

"Indeed." he replied. "It's the main reason why I decided to become a doctor." he told her. "I wanted to use my gift to the fullest, to help people." he reasoned with a smile.

"And at least you've found something you like doing, I assume." he then went on.

"That's all that matters." he said, as they stepped into the medical wing, and Ashleigh felt several... familiar... mana signatures.

"Anyway, the one in question we need you to look at is Erica Windsor."

Nate merely nodded and led her to the room where Erica was being kept. They paused at the door, and he sighed.

"...I'm sure you've been told about her and the state she's in and such." he told her. "So I won't bore you or waste your time rehashing information you already know." he said.

"I merely wish you luck." he finished.

"I'll be waiting for you when you come out." he went on.

"..." he was then silent, before sighing.

"Oh, and there's one more person here that you may be able to help." he then added. "But we'll discuss that after Erica."

Nate paused for a moment.

"Actually, I'll just tell you where she is." he said.

"Her name's Olivia, and she's just 5 doors down that way." he said, pointing in the direction they'd come from.

"After you try with Erica, you can see if you can do anything for Liv, if that's all right." he went on.

"Because all we ask is that you try." he assured her.

"Anything you can do would be appreciated." he added. "Anything at all."

"In my office." Nate responded.

He then paused for a moment, seemingly realising what he has said.

"...at my desk in the corner of the storage room." he clarified sheepishly. "When I was still in school, but working here, that area was designated for me to do my schoolwork and such." he told her.

"Now it's just... become 'my space'." he shrugged.

"So you'll usually find me there." he said.

"If not there, at the receptionist's desk."

Nate just sighed as he watched Ashleigh go into the room, before shaking his head.

"Right, time to get to work." he told himself. "Or... back to work." he then muttered.

With that, he walked back to the storage room, and looked at a few of the boxes that were there. They needed to be opened, catalogued, and put away. And he needed to busy himself right now. So it seemed obvious. He set to work, anxiously waiting for Ashleigh's return.

--

Ashleigh had been working on Erica for a bit... and was making NO progress. None. It seemed that her curse and Vanessa's mana were JUST the right (or wrong) combination to keep her hold on the young woman ironclad.

However, after she stopped to take a break, and then stepped forwaerd to try again, she swore she heard a voice echo in her mind.

Don't touch her. it said.

Just as she was wondering if she was going nuts, a pillar of light appeared in the corner of the room. It lasted for about 5 seconds, before dying down, revealing a man that looked more toned than even Lindsay with his muscle structure, short light brown hair, and a white tee-shirt with dark blue jeans. He crossed his arms and looked around, before noticing that Ashleigh stood at least 4 inches higher than him.

"Well." he said.

"That's rather emasculating." he said bluntly, with an intimidating aura.

...or it would be, if he didn't look tiny when compared to her.

"I am." he responded.

"And if you're not careful, you'll do more harm than good." he said, approaching and looking down at Erica. "...her curse is... unique." he told her. "It reacts in such a way that they intertwine with each other, and the more you try and pull out the dark elf's influence... the more you risk yanking out her own mana as well, killing her." he explained.

"...I know how this curse works." he said further.

"And I know how to work around its... quirks and intricacies." he went on.

"Now... MAY I?" he asked her, almost sounding like he was seeking permission... though in a sarcastic way.

The male paused for a moment, before looking at her with narrowed eyes. He was fully ready to say something to her, but found himself pausing suddenly, and reconsidering his words... and tone.

"...indeed." was all he said.

He then looked back at Erica, and removed the gag from her mouth.

"Let this happen." he told her.

"The mana will feel invasive, but resist the urge to fight it." he said. "Let it mingle within you... and you'll soon know how to work with it." he continued. "This requires your cooperation, so learn what this mana requires from you." he finished.

He then placed a hand on her chest, and his mana started to seep into her.

Sure enough, she had the initial reaction to push it back... but she quickly realised that the mana, if she would work with it, would expel Vanessa's influence.