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When Vezalius picks up the first of the little creatures, it is in the middle of a city reduced to rubble.
Krisis had been sent to comb the wreckage along with some other teams, and the trio decides to split off to cover more area. He wanders alone for a while, keeping a keen ear and eye out for any remaining signs of life. It's hard to believe that this city had been a bustling hub of activity only a week ago, and now that it's been reduced to this… He shivers, worries spiking a little in his heart as he hopes Vanta and Wilson remain safe on their own.
A little squeak, and he turns his head to see a flash of white and purple quickly disappear behind a wall. Vezalius is quick to turn on his heel to approach, readying himself for a confrontation as he turns the corner-
There it is, a floating… white fox-like thing? It blinks its golden eyes at him owlishly, and he notices the mark running across an eye like a scar, much like his. He stares at it for a while, and it stares back at him for one, two moments before it squeaks again, this time sounding more desperate, diving down towards a nearby pile of rubble and batting its bandage-like tail against the rocks. Vezalius, against the will of the little voice in his mind that says "No, Zali, don't approach the strange floaty thing", goes closer, reaching his hands out to begin pulling rubble out of the way. The creature flits around him as he works, making more worried noises as time progresses.
It takes a while more, but he finally, finally, unearths two people, one wrapping their arms around the other and the other curled up in a near fetal position. He fears for the worst, reaching to touch them. The one protecting is long cold, but the one protected is still barely warm and breathing. He extricates them as gently as he can, already radioing his teammates to inform them of his find and tell them that he'll be returning to base camp first.
As he stands, Vezalius catches sight of the creature again. It's quiet now, perched where the duo were found, looking strangely content. He pauses, looking between it and the person in his arms.
"Do you want to come along?"
He blurts it out before he processes what he's just said and when it does click, he snaps his jaw shut, awaiting the response with bated breath. The creature floats up, swaying back and forth as if actively contemplating its decision, but in the end, it floats over to Vezalius, curling up and settling upon the injured.
(Much later, when the patient makes a full recovery, Vezalius learns that they cannot see the creature, but that they felt like they were always being protected despite their only kin having died protecting them.
The creature chirps from its position around his neck and shoulders like an errant housecat, as they watch the now-recovered individual walk out of the door to a new life.)
Strangely enough, while civilians and the higher-ups can't seem to see the lone creature around him, Vanta and Wilson can, and it seems like they have their own creatures as well. Vezalius doesn't have a name for his until Vanta suggests calling it a "Vezkit", because "it's attached to you and only ever follows you around and you've said it likes hovering around your medkits so might as well call it a Vezkit after your name and the medkits that you have".
Or so he says.
Sometimes it's hard to figure out what Vanta is cooking, truly.
Nonetheless, Vezalius adopts the name, calling for the Vezkit when he's busy in his clinic. It's a great help, despite its size and its tiny hands. By some strange stroke of luck, despite it being white on most parts of its body, it never gets dirty. He conducted a few experiments on the creature's bacteria-hosting abilities and was pleasantly surprised to find out that somehow, it doesn't hold bacteria, if the blank agar plates are anything to go by.
The first Vezkit remains a trusty assistant as the days go by, much to Tsuchi's initial displeasure. Despite it, Vezalius sometimes finds both the android and the Vezkit curled up together as the former recharges and the latter naps.
He makes sure to take a picture of the adorable sight for safekeeping.
The Vezkit is the only one of its kind for a very long time, until the next time Vezalius is sent on a recovery mission and he brings it along. They scour the area until the Vezkit chirps and darts off, Vezalius following closely behind to see what it has spotted. For the first time since the creature has come into his care, he sees more of them, a group of three who huddle together atop three fallen bodies.
There's a painful twist in his heart when he understands that there's no one to be saved here, just remnant souls.
The first Vezkit flits over, nuzzling each of the trio and sounding a series of chirps and other noises. Vezalius approaches the pile carefully, smiling as the trio turn their attention between him and the lone Vezkit. One by one, they float up, approaching him, and he extends a hand to pet them as gently as he can. They make noises akin to a purr, and that first Vezkit settles back around his neck happily enough.
"Come with me, little ones. You'll be safe now."
Slowly but surely with every recovery mission, Vezalius begins to pick up more and more Vezkits. Most appear identical, though some have little accessories on their heads, but it's usually easy enough to tell them apart by their personalities. At some point, he figures out how to teach them to write, and they scribble down their names on little nametags and carry them around. It helps him to identify them, and it also helps Vanta and Wilson when they come down to visit and proceed to get buried by a pile of Vezkits and they need to figure out who they're talking to while peeling them off.
The formerly quiet medical clinic Vezalius usually occupies soon becomes a bustling hub of activity, even if the Vezkits can only be seen by him and the other heroes of A.S.H.
They're a welcome company especially on the later nights, when he's surviving off caffeine while developing new concoctions.
They're there for him after harder missions and days, curling up around him to comfort and keep him company.
They're there when he finds the energy to pick up his guitar and sing, swaying on their little tails and cheering for him with little squeaks and chirps.
In a way, he supposes they're kindred spirits of some sort. Every Vezkit, though he may never know their stories, was once a living person. He's been surrounded by death even as a young child, so it makes some sense for them to form a connection, an attachment over it.
Even now, as he lays in his bed, with at least 50-odd Vezkits currently scattered around his room and maybe around 20 more tucking themselves under his blankets and around his pillows and the rest probably sleeping in another tangled pile in the clinic that they'll squeak at him to help fix in the morning, Vezalius is quite sure he wouldn't trade these little companions for the world. He busies himself with making sure everyone is tucked in properly before he eases himself into bed with a sigh of relief at the plush comfort of his mattress after a long day.
That first-ever Vezkit, who named themselves Tsu, floats over sleepily to settle upon his chest with a purr, a greeting.
'Good night, friend.'
Vezalius smiles, scratching behind their ears.
"Good night, my little one."