The Gear City branch's reply was as prompt as ever. On the night her letter was sent, Ivy received a reply from Gear City. A kestrel perched on her windowsill brought her one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was that her reimbursement request for alchemical supplies had been approved.
The bad news was that the branch director was concerned about her mental state and had sent her a mental health assessment.
In the letter, the branch director had also tactfully suggested that if she couldn't hold on any longer, he could recommend her for a position at the Imperial Capital headquarters.
Ivy clutched the assessment, while the Golden Hair on her head lashed out wildly, expressing a voiceless roar.
First of all, Ethan was the one who'd suggested turning the little hen into an Alchemist!
Ethan was the one who really ought to get a mental health assessment!
Ivy wanted nothing more than to hurl the reimbursement form and mental health assessment at Ethan's face, then lock him in a dark room and properly test what was wrong with his mental state. But as angry as she was, she eventually gave up on the idea, because she was genuinely worried Ethan wouldn't pass the mental health assessment.
That would be a huge problem.
Frontline investigators dealt with Cursed Objects year-round. Even with the help of suppressants, their mental states were inevitably affected. An investigator who had lost their mind posed a tremendous threat both to themselves and to their colleagues, so mental health evaluations were taken extremely seriously.
If an investigator failed the evaluation, they would be forcibly recalled to the nearest branch and placed in isolation for treatment until the Containment Bureau deemed them fully recovered.
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