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Cricket seemed, well..pleased would have been a strong word for it, but perhaps appeased when the students finished jotting down their observations about the creature.

"The creatures FEAR is slightly....off, but it is maintaining it well enough that when it recovers it will be balance again." she answered, smoothing off the cover of the book in her lap before holding it out to the first student to take it.

"I am not expecting any of you to heal this minipet. I will leave that to my own devices. I want you to go through this, however, and determine what you think it is and what course of action I should take. Identifying symptoms and deducing the illness is important, and that type of detail orientation will carry over to anything you do."



Cricket added with a note; "It is possible the creature is infected with more than one ailment. It is possible I also need to work very quickly on this little one, so make your deduction quickly." She motioned to the pieces of paper she'd given them to write the symptoms on.

"Please write your answer down, as to not influence each other's deductions. Once you have and I have seen all of your answers, I will tell you what it is."

The creature is cool underneath Jove's touch and actually seems to enjoy the physical contact. It clicks with approval, and Cricket doesn't move to remove his hand from it.

The creature coughs again, but the sheets appear to be clean.

Cricket looks to Yaya at her inquiry, leaning back in her seat as she is no longer babysitting the book being passed around.

"It came into my office this morning, that is as long as I can say with certainty."

Oh, how Malodore wished it and the book could be alone. Together. For a long, long time. But the well-being of a minipet was at stake, and there would be time enough later to request permission to read through the book in its entirety. It waited for the others to read, then took its turn, pondering the symptoms listed and making notes of its own on its notepad.

Hm.

Its fellow students were asking questions, too - good questions. Malodore took that data into account, leaning down to peer at the minipet once more. "Have you given it any care of any kind since it arrived, Infermiera?" it asked, squinting through its lenses at the minipet's skin, trying to figure out if any tell-tale colors were visible through the damage. "Other than placing it it on this cot, naturally."

Kasumi gratefully took the book, biting her lip in remorse for the pitiful creature. They had to do something! She knew Miss Cricket would never let real harm come to the little thing, but still... Kasumi wanted to make the ghost proud, and so she took up the tome and went to find the nearest clear space to sit down and compare her notes. There were a variety of ailments listed, all with a cure or treatment to them, but the students had to pick the right one. Time was of the essence! Her head whipped back and forth between the textbook and her clipboard, the ghost mulling over the possibilities.

She absently chewed a piece of hair, listening to the other students asking questions. "Miss, have you noticed any discharge from the poor creature? Anything from the eyes, nose or ears?"

Malodore frowned inwardly as it looked over its notes. "Grazie," it murmured after Cricket answered its question; it listened attentively to her next answer as well before returning its attention.

But. Time was of the essence. Making a decision, it wrote industriously for a minute, then tore the paper free from its notepad, folded it, and held it out to Cricket. Fresh nervousness settled in the plague doctor's gut. What if it was wrong?

Another thing a doctor had to cultivate. Intelligence, quick thinking, and confidence that its decision was the right one. Undue hesitation could cost, but so could hasty action. Balance was called for.