I rose from my chair and joined the group.
“Oh! Hi Doctor Pendragon.” Sylvie fidgeted with the piece of paper in her hands. “Did you see this spider? It’s fascinating.”
“I’ve seen many.” I picked up the small specimen jar and gently turned it. “This is a nice one, though. Much brighter than those I’ve seen.”
“Yes!” Sylvie clapped her hands together. “I caught that one myself. It was just over there in the?—”
“Sylvie,” I interrupted. “Why don’t you and Aaric go help Doctor Rosenshield categorize his plants?”
“Oh.” She shifted on her feet. “Of course. Come on, Aaric.”
The two of them left and I strode to the other side of the table, stopping next to Cerise.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
Because I wanted to be alone with you. “They were starting to annoy me.”
“That was terribly rude.”
I shrugged. “They’ll get over it. It’ll be good for them to learn about the plants as well. They aren’t here solely for us.”
“I suppose you’re right. Well, now that you’re here, can you help me with something?”
The pitter patter of rain began on the canvas tent. Just a light afternoon shower, bringing much wanted cool air to our stifling camp.
I let my eyes roam her face, pausing on her lips before meeting her gaze again. “Anything you need, sunshine.”
The blush on her cheeks crept down her neck. “Well,” Cerise said. “I’d like to extract venom from this icdicae. There could be some important healing properties we haven’t learned about yet.” Cerise gestured to a large clear container holding a bright green foot long insect with a segmented body and about a hundred legs.
I leaned over the table, inspecting the animal. “You want me to hold the container while you extract?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. You’ll hold the insect and extract while I hold the venom container.”
Most insects didn’t bother me. But this thing gave me the creeps. The way its legs moved when it crept along the glass, how it lifted its head, trying to find a way out. I tried to hide the shudder that made its way through me.
“You want me to pick it up…with my hands…”
“What’s the matter, Doctor Pendragon?” Cerise laid a hand on my exposed forearm, my skin heating from that simple touch. “Are you scared?”
I put my hand on top of hers and brushed my thumb against her soft skin. “Of course I’m not scared.”
Clearing her throat, she pulled her hand away and reached for the container. “Okay, then. Here you go.” She handed it over.
I donned a thick pair of gloves sitting on the table, then opened the box, wincing as I snatched the writhing insect in my hand. I could feel its sharp legs gripping me despite the gloves and it made my skin crawl, though I tried to hide it.
This is horrific.
“I’m going to need you to do this quickly, Cerise.”
“Well, you must hold it correctly. Right behind the pincers on its head,” Cerise instructed, looking at me with amusement.
“I’m trying. It’s too wiggly.” I groaned as it flailed even harderin my grip.
“Too wiggly?” She snorted.
The rain picked up, now a steady downpour as it hammered the canvas above us, making it harder to hear each other over the noise.
“Hold the container,” I said.
