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Malodore felt exhausted on every level - mental, emotional, physical, as if the first two had sunk their teeth into it and dragged it downwards. But being alone in its room gave it too much time to think. Too much time to mourn... to mourn something it thought it was done mourning.

(As if it ever would have been done. Foolish logic, or rather lack thereof.)

The tomes Nurse Cricket had given it provided it with some solace, some distraction, though her words about core degeneration continued to plague it. At last, the plague doctor slammed the book it had been reading closed with more force than was needed, immediately regretting the impulse as some pages folded and crumpled.

It needed to... not be alone.

Fortunately, Nurse Cricket had also provided an excuse for that - the FEAR-tracing exercise she had requested that it do. It would have to be a friend. Acting on that same impulse, Malodore sent out a text...

"It is," came the reply from within; as it spoke, Malodore mentally tried to push away all the twisted, confused feelings inside of itself. Riley had taught it how to shield itself from others; if only it could have shielded itself from itself...

But Sammy was here, and would provide distraction enough. Ombra barreled into the door and fell over, only for Luce to sit calmly on the excitable pup as she usually did.

"Yes.. I have formally begun my apprenticeship under Nurse Cricket's tutelage," it said, cracking open its beak in a faint smile. "It is good to see you, my friend... you have been well, I hope?"

It put the books to one side and stood, pulling the only chair into the center of the room. "Please, take a seat, and I can tell you about this exerciser I have been assigned? ... And perhaps a few other things, as well." It really... it really didn't want to explain again, but. This was Sammy. Some things were owed, and this was definitely one of them. She had a right to know, and it had to be the one to tell her.

"It is a simple exercise... for me to trace the flow of your FEAR through your body. It will not hurt, I assure you, nor will it be an intrusive exercise. It is simply to accustom me to following how FEAR integrates and works with the body..."

Its voice trailed off, and it bowed its head. "But first, there is something I must tell you. I... it is something of both joy and sorrow." Its body visibly tensed, its feathers bristling and rasping as if in anticipation of pain.

It took a deep breath, then let its words flow out on the exhale. "Riley... she is alive. The Bogeymen - their scientists brought her back. But she has forgotten... much."

Another breath. "She has forgotten me." Its throat closed with unshed tears again, but it had said all it needed to.

"How long... what? Has she been alive? I don't know." Malodore shook its head, its words drained of emotion. "But she did die, and for all their cruelty in the heat of the moment... the Bogeymen, they saved her. They brought her back. They allowed me to see her. The scientist in charge was actually very kind..."

"I don't trust them," Malodore said, sharply; then it slumped, sinking to sit down on the floor in front of Sammy's chair. "Mi dispiace... but they have Riley, and they need to keep her, for now. She is fragile, and I do not have the knowledge or tools to care for her. Her physical recovery is dependent on them..." Obvious tension rippled through it for a moment.

Then it shook its head and began to speak again, voice draining back into that emotionless tone. "Not... not absolutely everything. She clearly remembered bits of her past. When I arrived, she seemed scattered, but the more I spoke with her, the more she seemed to remember. I let her look at my memories... but seeing a thing from a distance and experiencing it are two different things. I... I should have expected it, really. Nurse Cricket warned me... just as how made-Undead suffer memory loss. Foolish to think this would be any different." It made a sharp, self-depreciating gesture with one hand.

Then, as Sammy spoke of motivations, it hunched forward. "She was a convenient subject, I am sure. It seems Insanity has done similar things to others, elsewhere in Halloween - no doubt they wish to halt the progression as much as I do. Had I been in their position, presented with a whole specimen, I would have done the same."

"I don't know - I saw her only for a short time, and I was not... not at my best," Malodore admitted, wings shifting to press against its sides. "At least she can see our memories, if we offer them to her..."

It twitched a bit at Sammy's touch, but after a moment it sighed again, nearly imperceptibly, and some of the tension left it. "Si, there is that hope. Really, it is only my personal feelings that hold me back from acknowledging the achievement..." And had it not always been taught that personal feelings had no place in medicine? Perhaps, in this, the Elders had been right after all...

It took her offered hand and got to its feet. Yes, it had work to do. Now the deed was done, the bandage torn off and wound revealed; it could now be covered again, pushed away and wrapped in gauze and cotton until no trace of its folly remained. "Of course... I will need to trace the flow of your FEAR, sensing with my own FEAR. It will require touch, though, ah... nothing inappropriate, naturally." Yes, it could do this. Focus on the task at hand. This was exactly what it needed.

Malodore just nodded, then took a deep breath, for the calming effect. It folded its wings neatly, then reached out one hand towards Sammy, not focusing its FEAR but rather focusing its awareness of FEAR.

"I have to trace your FEAR from its source, and get an idea of how it flows through your body," it murmured, stopping its movement before actually touching her, one finger hovering over her heart. "A rather dull exercise, from your perspective... you likely won't feel anything other than my own touch. May I begin?"