Harupia went through quickly, his clothing wrapped extra tightly around him as he went through the city, the winter not begin extremely cold, but the snow and chilly wind making it a bit to low for comfort. For him though, it was his favorite part of the year really. It let him wear his concealing clothing with little discomfort, and without prying eyes constantly wondering why he's bundled up, like i the summer time...

Walking fast, he made his way into the headquarters of the medical division, enjoying the warmth of the building slightly as he entered the living quarters. He was looking for a certain room, which number was written on a note placed quite a long time ago in the facilities notice board...a silly little request about someone need help with making sweets. It kind of tempted him to simply throw the notice away, but as hr thought about it, there was no real project that needed his immediate attention, and it was always nice to help someone with you're smarts...and some extra money for lunch wouldn't hurt either.

After a few minutes of searching, he would place a knock on the door before him, the number the same as he remember from the notice, and he waited if he would get an answer from the person who had placed the add there.

SPOILER: Click to show

Mission: Stuck on You
Description: A member of the medical unit has become obsessed with creating a new sweet and has requested assistance as well as a taste tester for the finished product.
Reward: 750 Yen

The door immediately slid open as Harupia's knock reverberated in the air. A thin, slouching, and somewhat greasy looking fellow with long oily hair that may have been gray but looked black instead was standing before him, chewing on the fingers of the bony hand that had not opened the door. "Who are you," the shinigami somehow managed to ask around his digits in a haughty manner. At least, he was a shinigami judging by his clothes, which were the only thing about him that looked clean. Unless one counted the room behind him. It looked more like a lab than a medical facility from what Harupia would be able to see over the slumped figure who continued to fidget and chew on a finger. There were beakers filled with weird substances, gleaming metal utensils, and shiny surfaces galore. There was also the unmistakeable smell of sweets in the air.

The firs thing to hit Harupia after the door opened was the sweet smell which crept its way out of it. Pleasant at first, but with its intensity he could only guess that it would get slightly sickening after prolonged exposure to it...not that the person behind the door seemed to care. Maybe it helped mask the odor of his own body which looked like it needed a bath quite a bit ago. He didn't look healthy in general, though Harupia was the last to make any assumptions upon someones appearance. What intrigued him most was all the equipment gathered inside the room...one would think someone with such a huge interest in science would know which Division to draft himself to...

Clearing his throat before speaking he said "Kaganashi Harupia, Research and Development Division, 3rd seat.I'm here in response to the note you hanged asking for assistance in you're experiments...assuming you did put up such a note of course."

The emaciated figure remained steadfast in the doorway barring access to the rest of the room physically and visually from the visitor. "As if I would waste my time with something so menial," he replied thickly over his knuckle. Then he turned and moved aside so Harupia could enter. "I had someone else hang it." When Harupia entered, if he did so, the rest of the room would come into view. The shelves which lined the walls that had not been visible from the doorway vantage sported medical supplies, plants, and jars of questionable substances and items. There was a pair of eyeballs held in one and teeth in another. They were the only truly easily recognizable things in the jars. On the table in the middle of the room was a closed metal box previously blocked from view by the medic who had not given his name in reply though he was now muttering quietly and quickly to himself.

"Might be good to have a scientist. Help reverse the effects. There are always effects. Or maybe give it more effects. That'd teach them. Pin him. Nono, just a medic. He's the scientist."

The snake skinned Shinigami simply nodded to what the men aside before walking into the room though the offered entrance. Inside the room looked...well, for any other person it would look mot likely pretty bizarre at best...for him, it was only surprising he had all this stuff in a room like this. All these weird jars with weird stuff swimming on them were pretty common in diffrent parts of the Division...sometimes the jars were only bigger, and had things moving in them. Though sometimes limbs torn out of the body were also visible. And there was the mysterious box in he middle of the room...probably why he came here in the first place.

Looking around the room,tilting his head while looking at the eyeball's, he said not really hearing all of the men's muttering "You have an interesting...collection here. Kind of surprising you are in this division rather then being one of my colleagues...So, just what is this task you need assistance in?"

"Only an uneducated person would say as much," the shinigami replied flatly and rather rudely as he moved toward the box on the table with an awkward gait that suggested limping but that wasn't quite it. "It's plain to see where the medical field and the science field overlap. Bodies and chemicals." He waved his free hand toward the jars as his other hand remained with fingers in optimal gnawing position, implying that they were a prime example of such. He began muttering quietly to himself again. "Yes, chemicals. That's all we have here. Just a collection of chemicals. Scientists use chemicals. Easy enough to infer who would be behind anything unwanted." Then he reached the table and straightened up. Sort of. The medic was simply the type of person who looked eternally hunched over despite his attempts at righting his posture. He pulled the box towards him and lifted the lid as he finally replied to Harupia's question regarding why he was there. A box of five identical chocolates filled the inside with a number from one to five listed before them on the molded foam material that they were nestled in.

"I need someone unbiased to test these. Essentially they're all the same with a few tweaks in the recipe for each one. Your job is to test them and tell me which one you find to be superior."

He rose his brow, not really taking kind to the rude tone the medic was taking towards him. He worked hard for his spot, and he was far from being uneducated i any form. After hearing the second part, he retorted "True, the fields of study we use in our work overlap to an extent. But the goals we want to achieve differ. You're goal is to heal the already wounded, we're trying to find ways to avoid the wounds in the first place...Amongst other things at least", his pronged tongue slipping out to lick his lip, himself being a specimen of science being used in a way quite opposite to what a doctor would do...

As he spoke, the men muttered something about chemicals as far as he heard, while taking the box and revealing 5 small sweets neatly placed within. Hearing about the final objective, he had to help himself from rolling his eyes... he still had the thought of this just wasting space on the message board in the first place. Then again, seeing all the substances and chemicals within the room, he couldn't be really sure just what the chocolates were composed of...he needed to ask around the division if there weren't cases of missing chemicals. Cause it was hard to imagine the doc acquired it all from the division first aid kits.

Still, he was a curious men,and this was some form of experiment, so without wasting time he took one of the chocolates into his hands and said "Very well then, best not to waste time...Do you want to take some note's, or should I just carry on?" Whichever the choice would be, he would wait for the men's signal after which he would pop the nr.1 chocolate into his mouth.

"No I don't and no you don't," the shinigami snarled under his breath. The medic had far more interest in simply tending to the wounded which he rarely did. He could, but he didn't. No, his interests lied in changing the body. Sometimes to make it better in what it could do, and sometimes... not. In fact, his eyes flicked over to Harupia's twisted form and his lips curved ever so slightly upward. Still, giving out classified information was not in the man's nature, it was among the traits picked up during his stint in the research and development field. Alas, too many patients had died so clearly, he had to do something about it and here he was. It was not the time to reflect on it, however and Harupia was correct; it was best not to waste time. The chocolates might melt.

"I will take notes as you progress through the taste testing; that is, provided your tongue is capable of giving a correct analysis of the flavors it encounters." The shinigami's eyes settled on the reptilian features before him before they averted to pull forth a chart for the experiment. The words were practically unintelligible for someone not use to his writing, but the sheer amount of columns and rows hinted that there was more to be observed than taste. "Not sure how it turned out after all. Not enough time to check the effects of the experiment. Rush rush rush." He coughed, held the chart with his left hand, and began chewing on the fingers of the other, saying around a knuckle, "Begin with sample one; chocolate with a hint of vanilla."

Harupia was honestly confused with the men;s response to his statement. Just what was that supposed to mean? Was he suggesting he didn't do his job as a scientist well? Or that he didn't care about what medics were supposed to do, and just did his own thing? both theories led to some not to pleasing conclusions...also, he caught him staring at his face, which while mostly covered, was still viably...different. He didn't say anything about it, but simply tuned his body to the side as he picked up the chocolate treat, to cover himself up. As long as he didn't ask about it, he could just avoid the curious gaze and focus on the jib. And with that in mind, he plucked the first chocolate into his mouth, letting it roll around his tongue so he could slowly start feeling its flavor.

The shinigami running the experiment was staring at Harupia all the more now, with an increased intensity as the reptilian figure sampled the chocolate. A few seconds into the taste test and Harupia would start to feel as if his skin, er scales, were crawling. A few more seconds passing by and his hide would start to change in shade from green to hot pink. Still, neither effect was quite as bad as the third and final one. A distinct itching with the intensity of a thousand suns- okay, not that bad, but Harupia would find himself riddled with itches all over his scaly flesh that begged to be scratched away.

While slightly uncomfortable with the staring, Harupia just focused on his task of tasting the medics little sweet's...as long as he wasn't ask....why was he itchy?

At first he was just guessing it was from the heat and sweat or soemthing...but then the itching spread, and grew more intense...quickly yanking back part of his uniform he saw his scaly skin was for once of a slightly more normal colored shade...though it was hard to call pink scales normal. Especially pink rash colored.

Of course the itch was horrible, but he tried to keep his composure, being smart enough to know scratching the itching would only make things wrong...for now he simply fitiget standing in place, while saying in an irate and uneasy tone "I do hope...this effect had come up with you're earlier...experiments...and you have some ointment for this unGODfull rash..." his twitching movements becoming more erratic, somewhat like he was doing some kind of weird dance, trying to rub the skin over his cloths, stopping himself as much as he could from actually scratching himslef...though he as pretty sure he couldn't last for long...

Alas, the tone Harupia took was not one the greasy man responded well to in the best of circumstances. He particularly didn't like it when a test subject used it. "Oh yes, an ointment. Always an ointment for an ailment," he muttered and stalked off to one of the cabinets. From within, he pulled out a jar. Its contents were of a thick milky white nature. The medic tossed it to the writhing Harupia, who looked more snakelike now as he fidgeted about. "Try this," his voice oozed all too pleasantly. The ointment in the jar looked soothing enough, but it was actually a cream designed to stimulate the nerve endings. A special concoction made by the medic for use in battle up his blade to increase the suffering of anyone he managed to hit as to give him time to run off.

In this case, what Harupia didn't know, wouldn't necessarily hurt him, but it would drive his itching to crazed heights should he apply it to his skin. He had the option of trusting the medic who had given him the candy to begin with, or he could try and make use of the medic's facility. There were plenty of beakers, odd liquids, and herbs to be found in the room if one looked or ask for them. Nicely, of course.

Harupia kept moving around,t trying to rub his skin against the clothing gently to find at least some comfort, and also ran his hands gently through the cloths to scratch just a tiny bit, but he tried to refrain from doing that to much as he knew it would only make it worse... as the medic stalked of to get him something to sooth the itch, he said "You know...this probably wont be a popular snack...but I'm pretty sure it could be utilized in some....other areas...". As angry as he was for getting into such a position, h e could appreciate a crafty invention when he saw one...and having a small candy cause such effects this quick was surely useful. Maybe it could be even weaponized in some way if tinkered with correctly...at the very least, he was sure some of the Division would like to use these when interrogating other people for whatever reason...

As the men came with the jar with the white substance, Harupia was ready to take it and start applying the ointment...when hen a realization hit him. This men asked him here to taste some candies...and he received a raging rash from taking it. Hmm...as desperate as the situation was, the though, as well as his suddenly very cheery voice mad him realize taking the jar like this wouldn't be a good idea...

Moving towards the men's table to set the jar down, all the while moving around all awkward like from the itch he said "On second thought...I think I would be capable enough to make something to fix this situation myself...if you would of course allow me to use your supplies. No offense, I'm sure the ointment you provided is useful for whatever its purpose is...but I'm already here to taste some chocolates with rather unusual side effects, I wouldn't like to overload myself with experiments..." As he spoke he made awkward pauses to twitch in a strong fashion really trying to make the itch sizzle down at least a bit, to no avail so far.

Somehow, the medic managed to grouse without making a sound before replying, "This is why the candy is being tested. To work out any... kinks." Perhaps 'kink' was an understatement for the severe itch escalating across Harupia's scales. "But have it your way," he finished, brow arched as he stepped back toward a wall. Despite his vocalized approval for Harupia to attempt his own cure without the aide of a qualified medic, the non-reptilian shinigami kept his narrowed eyes firmly upon the test subject. It was already implied that he had once been a scientist and the medical facility was as much a lab as his former and needless to say, most people did not like others snooping about their labs. Though the base ingredients were pure compared to the balm Harupia had been given, their sanctuaries in the form of cabinets and drawers might not be so friendly to inspection.

Still fidgeting wildly, putting his hand in his sleeve and rubbing it against his clothed body, trying to ease himself slightly as he listened to the men respond. Looks like the guy was for some reason displeased with his choice. Once again speaking in a rather distressed voice he said "Well, I was expecting testing...more along the lines if the candies were sweet enough... not whether they'll be able to kill the eater? Just why candies anyway...? Nothing against sweets, you just don't seem like... the type to work on things like that..." Most of the science staff he knew would most likely see these as rather trivial work at best...and as much as he would agree, this could really have some kind of battle applications if modified right.

Approaching the cabinets in twitching, long steps he kept on saying" And you don't need to stand away like that...I didn't come here to steal anything,but you can inspect me closer if you want... I also wouldn't mind some kind of assistance, since in this state I could accidentally break one of you're instruments...If you're waiting for me to be polite, then could you help me, pretty please?". As he spoke his voice might have sounded slightly irate, but it was mostly because of his skin being irritated. He wasn't shy to ask for help... he preferd that then stubbornly wasting his time trying to find the necessary ingredients... Still, as he waited for the reply, he opened one of the drawers to look inside and see just what were its insides contents.

"Money," the medic replied, stating his motives simply, but not commenting on the difference between tasting for flavor and tasting for unconventional side effects. And then he was silent once more, watching Harupia darkly as he moved toward the cabinet. He appeared contemplative however when the reptilian shinigami mentioned breaking his tools. That simply would not do. So he grunted and skulked toward Harupia though no offer of advice or the like passed by he lips.

Blinking he turned towards the quasi scientist after he uttered the one word. At first he thought he wanted to get paid for his assistance...applying for doing a task, now that would be surely a deal of the lifetime. But after some quick thinking (which wasn't that easy as he was still itching like a mad men all over his body) made his realize the reasons he was doing it. Rubbing his arms into each other, as well as his legs down below, he said "Ahh...pretty reasonable...though still not sure why you just didn't come to the research Division...Unless you simply enjoy the work with helping other people feel better...Which you would have a good chance to do now if you would like...'

He was pretty annoyed he just stood there without giving any advice, but he wasn't saying anything disapproving, so for now he browsed through the various containers in the drawer he opened trying to remember just which herbs and powers, or whatever he could find there would help him...after a brief silence he also said "While I'm fiddling around here, could you pass me the next chocolate? I think Ive wasted enough time looking like a Rukon idiot to long now...best get the experiment going. Unless you want a clear distinction between the effects of the different candies... Id personally would work on getting the test subject in good shape as soon as possible before carrying out, but its you're work place, so you pull the strings..." still looking through the contents of the drawers he had before him, all the while fidgeting and twisting still. Getting used tot he itch was going a lot slower then he had hoped...he really wished something would happen sooner then later to make it go away.

Though the man didn't say anything in regards to Harupia's continued confusion over his division choice, a shadow of a smirk surfaced for but a moment. Then he shrugged. "I told you, science and healing overlap in anatomy and chemicals. You didn't want what I offered anyways, but I doubt it'd be all that hard to whip something together to ease itching if the Research and Development Division is all you're trying to make it out to be." Goad for goad, though Harupia's did not prevent the man from passing him the chocolate labeled with the number two, He kept his clipboard at the ready and though he wasn't actively helping, he was keeping a keen, but beady, eye on Harupia while he rifled through the medic's belongings. The new chocolate, if tasted, would carry the same base flavor as the original one that Harupia had tried, but the man clarified the undertone of its taste prior to testing. "Chocolate with a hint of honey."

Groaning in slight annoyance from the men's pretty evasive answer's, and from the constant itching, he said "Yes, they do overlap, I'm just saying you would get better results faster in the proper division...for instance, you wouldn't have to pay people to test you're chocolates, and you wouldn't have to hog all you're supplies in one small room...But its you're prerogative to stay here if you feel you'll achieve more...I just cant see the reason why...'

As he spoke he started sorting some of the liquids and herbs that he managed to find, and remember as being capable of easing pains when mixed properly...though of course the question was if he would be able to do it properly, as just having the knowledge usually didn't mean having much experience. Still, he would have to worry about that later...and watch out not to break any of the containers with his random twitches caused by the scratching...as he thought he absentmindedly took the second chocolate into his mouth, tasting it before quickly saying "Mmm...the first one tasted better...though that might be because I prefer vanilla to honey..." hopefully maneging to speak before another crazy side effect kicked in.

The medic's slumped shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Perhaps, but here my test subjects usually don't die. Usually." He fell silent for a moment while taking a few notes then, as Harupia's scales started to turn a shocking pink color, he asked, "What exact ingredients are you using in the salve? We wouldn't want a bad chemical reaction between the cause and the cure, now would we?" He sounded amused as he spoke though his face was still as surly as ever. Perhaps because only he knew the exact ingredients in the chocolates. So only he could confirm any potentially bad reactions, but only if Harupia was keeping track of what he was mixing and could list the ingredients. Then there was the new issue with his skin, or scale, pigmentation.

Chuckling a bit at the men's comment he said "So now you're implying my Division kills people? ain't that a nice assumption...let me assure you that no Shinigami ended up harmed in any experiments I know of...of course, we don't really use other Shinigami as the test subjects in the first place...unless one of the staff is willing to risk it. Hence why I'm here...you test these on anyone before perhaps?" he spoke, his hands running across his body through the barrier of his robes still...he knew he was probably making it worse with this still, but he couldn't help not to try and do something about the itch...

As for the questions, he honestly implied "Not quite sure... so far the only things Ive recognized are aloe Vera and Chamomile herbs, at least those which i remember are good for itches...but now it seems I need to think about something else..." he mused as he peeked under his sleeve, noticing the skin now went from an unhealthy green to an unhealthy pink...oh joy. Sighing, he said "Can we just get this done quick? Probably getting myself to the medical ward will be my best bet, cause quite frankly, so far I can guess you not really interested in helping me deal with these side effects. If you don't like me or I offended you in any way then fair enough...just pass me the next chocolate and lets get this over with..." his tone growing slightly more irate as he stood there rubbing his ski over. He didn't really know what this guy's problem is, he just wanted to get this done quick...in some weird way, he was also interested just what would the next side effects be...

"I never said your division kills people," the medic retorted with a scowl before muttering ever so quietly beneath his breath, "Dense creature. Not everything is about you. Not anymore. Once upon a time. Could have used a medic then. Ha." But as Harupia continued speaking, his expression lightened as far as gaining another hint of amusement to his greasy features. "I suppose I should imply the R&D's standards have fallen if you can't mix together something so simple, but no, I have not tested these on other people. Yet." If the scientist didn't want to secure his own comfort, that was his business, so the other Shinigami complied with nary a grumble as he handed Harupia the third chocolate. "Chocolate with a hint of strawberries."

"I never said you did say anything. implication in its nature is avoiding calling something out directly yet still talking about it...also, if you have something you don't want me to hear, just keep it in you're mind instead of muttering. Kind of rude to whisper in the middle of a conversation..." Harupia spoke, watching the shade his skin has taken after the last chocolate...this couldn't be healthy at all... after the second part of the men's comment, his brow fidgeted slightly, and then he reached over to the jar which was offered to him in the first place. Opening it, he touched the contents with just a tip of his finger...in effect he tip started to scratch a lot worse then the rest of his body.

Frantically rubbing the rashed finger across his robe, he said with a quite audible sneer" Maybe first you should be able to create such a simple mixture yourself instead of trying to give me some faulty produce which does the opposite of its intended aim... And maybe if you put you're energy into creating something more constructive then rash creating candies you could start arguing about the state of my Division. At this current time you should just keep you're mouth shut". Not a usual response from him, but hearing a person who cause him pretty huge discomfort by his faulty inventions down talk his and his colleagues work could get to you...

As he spoke his little tirade, he decided to ignore the strawberry treat for now, intent on actually doing something with his condition. He did realize he couldn't do much as he had no inattention of striping in front of the guy to apply some soothing cream to all of his body, and manufacturing some kind of pill for this without more specialized equipment was clearly impossible. But he would work with what he had...taking a few of the Aloe plants, and taking a glass container, he squeezed out the gel out of them, as well as from the Chamomile. He then spotted some Olive oil, which while mostly a cooking supply,could be also used for soothing rashes. Puring down some of it to the container, he mixed the three substance into a yellowish, liquid gel, and tested it on his hand, spreading some of the makeshift ointment over his hand. This all assuming the other "scientist" wouldn't stop him at any point.

The continued rudeness had pushed the clearly unstable medic past his tolerance level as Harupia finally smeared his concoction over his scaly skin. With a scowl on his face the medic moved toward Harupia, the charts discarded. "Leave," he snarled, his hands and arms moving to usher the reptilian shinigami from the room. Perhaps he was not the only one who should learn to keep his mouth shut; at least in certain situations. By the expression on his face, which was clearly anger from Harupia's statements, someone wasn't getting paid.

Soo...now after getting half done with the experiment, he wanted to break it of because of some harsher words, while Harupia had not only supplied him with a test subject, but also with a good supply for amusement for the rest of the day. And now he wanted to shove him out without pay...as the men tried to push him away, he did slowly move towards the door, not wanting to make a huge fuss while saying "At least half the pay. I did preform half the task whether you like it or not..." looking at him with an impassive, but serious face, as much as serious he could look with a pink face and scratching himself...he wasn't sure how strong this guy was combat wise, but if he would try and get violent with him he would retaliate...if he would just motion him towards the door he would stay as calm as both of them could now.

Now that Harupia was moving, or had at least moved some, the medic's gangly limbs returned to his body's normal perimeter as they folded across his chest. A scowl met Harupia's impassive expression. "Absolutely not," he snarled. "With testing incomplete and samples destroyed, the experiment is useless. I should make you pay for damages!" His eyes were wild but his voice dropped back to his muttering level. Clearly what Harupia had said about keeping things to himself rather than mumbling them into existence hadn't stuck; a sign of the shinigami's mental state. "Not all experiments go as plan. You didn't. Ahahaha. Scales might as well be skin. Should have listened to me. Larger reptiles. Deserts. Good protection that."

Expecting as much, Harupia took a deep breath and said "Ok,ok...Seem's we've gotten to wrapped up in our own egos here...There is no such thing like a failed experiment...just unfinished ones. If you'll send me away now, it'll be only you're fault that the experiment has failed, not mine. If my words had stung you're pride so much, then I truly apologies, but do you really want to let you're precious data and supplies go to waste? Don't you want to know how the rest of the candies will work? After all, it took quite a while before I came here to try and aid you, an another subject might not come by soon...So whats you're final word?".

True, his tone shifted fast, but that had his reasons. While agitated he was genuinely curious of what the effects of this experiment were, and it felt bad for him to go halfway through for little perpouse then to just get an itch. Speaking of which, the constant itching everywhere besides the hands, with the ointment slowly easing the itch away, had made him focus less on being angry at the medic and more on easing the scratches...and that lead him to calmer thoughts. Of course, there was the fact that he didn't truly know just how viotal the guy could be...now he knew, so he knew better how to approach it...that's why he didn't comment on the muttering this time. He didn't even really get much of it this time.

The medic's arms unfurled only so he could bring a bony knuckle upward. He continued to scowl deeply at Harupia as he gnawed on the thin digit. Whether he liked it or not, the reptile brought up valid points. Besides, if he continued the testing... "Fine," he snapped around his finger before turning his back upon the test subject. "Chocolate with a hint of strawberries," he repeated as he retrieved the chart.

Finally, a small victory of reason over frustration...though it must have been a huge struggle for the medic and the digit he gnawed upon, but he decided not to question it. Stepping forward into the room, and hearing the next test candy flavor he took the next candy from where it was put before the discussion got heated and said "Alright then...Another one for the progress of out people..." doing a toast like motion with his hand before consuming the penultimate treat...hopefully he wouldn't spontaneously combust after it or something...

Fortunately for Harupia, spontaneous combustion was not on the menu for the day. The medic did like to keep his test subjects patients and employees, temporary or otherwise, alive as long as they did not push him too far past what some would consider his breaking point. You could only do so much with a corpse. Oddly enough, even seconds after Harupia had finished the chocolate, there seemed to be no adverse side effects. Just the linger taste of sweets. This was noted with another scowl by the medic who jotted something down on the chart off to the side while he waited for Harupia's opinion of the treat. Granted, he did mutter, "Defective."