Absit Omen RPG
Role-Play Boards => St. Mungo's => London => First Floor: Creature-Induced Injuries => Topic started by: Una Sophia Freher on August 11, 2011, 06:14:23 PM
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Una didn't have a good memories about hospitals. That wasn't about been mistreated or anything, in fact she was fond of healers in general. But the sour impression of waking up suddenly on a hospital room - alone and without knowing a thing about what happened, only that a part of her body would never be the same again - was a little too much for a ten year old girl. A week working at the Department of Mysteries and knowing people with worst stories to tell made her feel quite less self pity though. Empathy was a good mean to let her own problems behind.
Still she felt a bit nervous going there. Not just for the strange light of the halls or the aseptic smell all around, that oppressed her by the reminders, but for the duty she was given as well. Collect data and observe patients means to deal with them, so she probably would have a struggle with herself to not take the patient's illnesses home. Maybe what she told Downer should be her goal from now on, far noblest than her actually one - discover the alchemical cure to all illnesses, the Panacea, was much better than discover how to recover her own arm. She was so selfish...
Una headed to the first floor where she were sent after identifying herself at the reception. She should look for Mrs. Foley up there, she was the healer in charge and Una thought she might be an important woman. So she couldn't really know what to expect, 'cause having her as a guide probably wasn't something little or trivial. Or she was underestimating - or overestimating - something.
Una shook her head slightly, it was more safe to not making any judgements when knowing nothing. She hurried a little in searching for someone who could help her find the healer. Her old-fashioned robe flitting behind her, the parchment roll held tight against her chest by her gloved right hand. The bare left hand reached politely the shoulder of the first woman she found standing at the hall of the second floor. "Excuse me, lady..." Una said, uncertain, for the woman seemed to be busy. "Do you know where I could found Mrs. Foley?"
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A long batch of tightly wound dreads move aside, turning the gaze of a tall, dark Jamaican woman to peer down at the woman who just addressed her. "Freher."
It was almost a question, but the witch's lips had parted with a much more weighty and accusatory tone. "She, is me," Delilah went onto answer the witch more pleasantly, as the slim tower of a body she occupied turned to face the younger girl. Her half-lidded stare was critical, analyzing, and if one were to know Delilah better they may have found she was patting the girl down with a brush of legilimency to touch the emotional surface of her intent.
She raised an open palm towards the girl and curled it back towards herself, "Come." Her robes (http://www.polyvore.com/healer_robes/set?id=32105069) fluttered as she turned and began taking long, calm, strides down the hall, but she held a perpetual disdain for the Ministry, and their officials, but most of her prejudice was directed at Aurors--however she did hold a curiosity for other departments, "An interesting breed of wizards," she lilted in her lanky accent, "'Dat an Unspeakable is. You even know what yer here for, or shuld that be a silent subject for now?" Delilah passed a coy smile over her shoulder before turning back to her path.
Of course Delilah knew the gist of why the other witch was there, and took the appropriate measures to remove and discard anything of relative legal importance, but she found amusement in poking fun at the girl.
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"Oh, yes... I'm Freher. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Foley..." she said, a little embarrassed. Una had to slightly raise the head to look at Delilah's eyes, unaware of her legilimens ability. There was nothing serious for her to hide, though. Just some silly, almost adolescent thoughts about how the witch in front of her seemed to be stately and strong. Una wished to be at least half of it.
She smiled politely to her silent stare, almost asking... Anything! Just to break the silence. But, in fact, the one thing Una wanted to know the most was about the patients. Then Delilah turned and asked her, more with the gesture than with the word, to follow her and Una did right away, holding a little more firmly the parchments.
"An interesting breed of wizards,'Dat an Unspeakable is. You even know what yer here for, or shuld that be a silent subject for now?"
Una raised her eyebrows for a brief moment. First, she noticed that Foley's accent was stronger than hers and the woman obviously didn't mind with that at all. Maybe she should try to do the same. Second, she could feel a little irony on the sentence, and third, ironical or not, Una indeed knew very little about the subject she was about to deal with.
Suddenly the presence of Foley made much more sense. She should know about that much more than her. But it was a little embarrassed for Una to have to be guided so many times in a week.
"Err... Look, Mrs. Foley, I'm here to watch some patients whose diseases have some kind of importance to the Department." she answered, looking more down to the parchments than ahead. "I work with alchemical cure, Spagyric, and I think we should work together at some level to solve their cases. But I imagine you already know that..."
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"Quick to werk aren't you?" Delilah's half-lidded eyes fell on the girl as she turned to press her hand on a patient's door, "Interesting, well applied,"she lilted off, before she pushed the door open and beckoned the shorter witch in, "And makes sense, given 'di circumstances."
The girl seemed young, possibly easily misguided or fooled, but Delilah felt that if she was going to hold anyone responsible for anything the girl did wrong she would aim for another with a higher office, but, for now, she decided it was best to show the girl what she was dealing with.
Within the room, there were various tools laid about on a counter, ordinary and non-magical. There was a single patient in a bed, young, probably too young for such a fate, sleeping as if there was nothing to the world beyond her eyelids. She had an IV hooked in each arm. In one arm, there were two clear liquids feeding into one arm, while the other, seemed to be draining the patient of blood with some sort of filter of regulating the flow.
Delilah let the door fall shut as she spoke up again, "'Dey weren't truly specific, chile, but you'll be watchin' 'dese kind."She took long steps over to the patient as she brushed her fingers up against one IV bag, "'Dis is water, diluting...," her long, slim fingers passed over the bag hanging next to it, "'Dis mixture used to increase th' production of blood cells," Her hands fell to her side as she moved to the other side of the patient, "Due to 'di nature of the injury it's a necessary precaution."
Her hands rose again, painted against the blood red hue of the bag, "This here's, a filter, we collect th' contaminated blood and dispose of it," with a highly subjective definition of 'dispose,' "It's a slow and ridiculous process, but it's th' safest method."
Delilah finally eyed the witch and gestured for her to put her things on an empty table, and to take a seat, "I'm sure you don't need me to know why she's here?" Delilah took her own seat, on the opposite side of the patient, with a studious and curious look in her dark eyes, as she waited for Freher to answer.[1]
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Una considered to thank the woman but her tone was still ambiguous for her, so she just entered in the room with her head down and whispered an also ambiguous "Thank you...", that could refer to what Delilah has said or done by opened the door for her.
Her blue eyes fixed on the young girl on the bed for a few moments, a tone of pity took her expression and grew worst when she saw the process she was through. Una looked to Foley when she started to explain, as she could felt the pain in her own skin. Such a waste of vital energy that the poor girl would surely sleep that way long after everything were done - and probably her health would never be the same again. Why use that awful method?
When Delilah silently invited her to put her parchments on the table Una finally saw with more attention the bunch of non-magical tool there, and did the math almost at the same time the older witch asked her if she knew why the girl was there. Slowly, painful and non-magical method to purify her body from contaminated blood - with something so powerful that the blood couldn't even be purged, but directly disposed. Una wasn't the most attentive reader of the Daily Prophet, but she remembered quite well about that issue...
"Runespoor venom contamination..." she whispered slowly, before turning to look directly in Foley's dark eyes. She remained stand while thinking, trying to find already, on the magic free alchemy, something directly connected to the case that could be useful. Herbs raised naturally, minerals obtained in the muggle way. That was not hard for an alchemist to know how to do, there was more inherent magic in the world than a wand could do and manipulate, but it's own time should be respected. And time was the most precious thing in that case.
Una gave up of trying to think alone without knowing more data, so she sat where Foley indicated and choose, over many, the first question to start: "How many cases do you have by now?"
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"Few are severe anymore," answered Delilah with her stoic visage, "Some are chronic, and others 'ave been gettin' better,"
"Th' venom eez a gift and a curse," her half-lidded gaze rolled over the patient, "We use less ingredients an' watered-down potions wit' greater affect, but go on to be limted in terms of magical tools," She then pulled herself up from her chair and stepped towards the girl, "It requires somet'ing extra from a healer or potioneer,"
"We must always be prepared for dis sort of t'ing and always be ready, so a little something extra from th' Department of Mysteries isn't so quickly spurned, here," finally, standing by Freher she motioned her palm up and towards the patient.
"Come take a closer look at heem, just be gentle wit' any magic you want to use."
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A gift and a curse? Strange definition, for sure. Still, Una could understand somehow; she wasn't so naïve to ignore that curses and blesses walks side by side, that shadows are produced by light and sometimes, the cure can be extracted only from the poison. Well, Delilah could mean much less than this – as Una realized when she rose from her chair -, but the young witch couldn't help but think too much about her words of choice.
When Foley invited her to take a closer look at the patient, Una took a second to stand up again and follow her. “I don't think there is any kind of magic allowed to use in such case... there is?” she asked, with her eyes fixed at the patient when she stood beside the bed, waiting for the Healer to start.
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A smile pressed against Delilah's slips, "Nothing to meddle wit' the bodily system, but you 'cin observe," the witch pulled out her decorated wand and waved it over the patient. Transparency washed over the skin and muscles until blood veins were visible to both the witches. "Runespoor venom enhances 'di magic, makes it volatile, but all it 'cin do to a well-controlled and gentle spell iz speed eet up."
"Here you can see th' remainin' venom actin' up and irritating t'ings," Delilah turned her wand away and swept an outstretched finger over the veins, "Jus' ta gentle touch will let you observe, surely not fi' one wit' a bad handle on magic."
She then crossed her arms and let the patient stay in their current state, "'Dere are, of course, mediwitches who can't pull it off, but's just a matter of control, confidence, and experience."
Finally, Delilah gaving a knowing nod to Freher, "But, potions, in this case, are always safest,"
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Una was relieved when the Healer cast the spell herself; specially after the description she gave about the effect of the venom on magic. Unfortunately, "well-controlled and gentle" wasn't exactly the words to describe her abilities with a wand.
She leaned, watching the venom acting with curiosity, while Foley was explaining. For the moment, Una was able to forget all the pain and energy waste that the poor patient was suffering. The Runespoor was something too intriguing to focus in anything else while working in front of her eyes. Una had to admit to herself that she never saw anything like that before; and understand how that works, how that could be tamed, could be purged, cured, could be used for... ah, well, she wasn't sure if the last part was really legal.
But if the quintessence of the venom could be extracted, she wouldn't be capable of just ignoring it.
She raised her blue eyes to Foley, while returning to the upright posture. The young witch was still insecure in front of the Healer's dark eyes, but there was a certain determination now too; a shy resolution that made her inquire a little more clearly, "And what potions have you tried so far, Healer Foley? What ingredients prove to be more efficient over the venom?"
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Nodded at Freher directly adressing her. "When I look for a good start to combat a creature's poison Freher, I turn to it's habitat."
Delilah gave a wry smile at the witch's growing confidence and growing curiosity. Asking questions, learning from those around you, that was the only way Freher was going to grow in her field. Regulated secrets were a hindrance, but, when people worked as a community, was when medicine thrived.
"When I look fer a good combat to a creature's poison, Freher, I start at it's habitat," she gave a heavy nod, "food chains, specifically, wit creatures who top th' Runespoors."
She then waved her wand and the patient's skin melded into visibility again and became norml,"But not like a Nundu wit' a good offense..." she dipped her head to the side with a shift of her shoulder, "th' defense of an erumpet, always mi first choice."
She raised her head and gave a lighter nod to Freher, "From 'dere mixtures 'dat require sitting and stewing; herbs, plants, an' insectsl; an' careful mixing. 'Ave always been curious of a brew wit' Grayskull (http://www.absitomen.com/wiki/index.php?title=Grayskull) parts, but..." her brow drew into a critical curve as her eyes fell on Freher again, "patients aren't guinea pigs, 'di dragon ingredients are rare, and I'm not mad 'nough to send anybaddy to kill one," her voice purred with a twist of amusement as she gave the smaller witch a jovial smile.
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Creature's habitat, food chains, Grayskull... Una should be writing down all that. So with the maximum of politeness she could have, the witch asked a brief “Could you wait a moment, please, Healer Foley?” Then headed to the table where her parchment was. Oddly, she took a quill and a little pot of ink from the pocket of her robe and opened the parchment, that had already some random doodles by the borders.
“There's any other creature you have already been curious about? I mean, any other on the food chain that can be useful?” She asked while writing, eventually raising her eyes to look at the Healer. That was a serious lack, but creatures weren't really Una's area – she could figure them better as ingredients than living beings. So everything she could learn from Foley would be precious. “You know, some poisons fight against other poisons inside the body; and some things that produce similarly bad effects on a healthy body, can cure a sick one. The similarity principle... there's any poison that you think that can be tested on the Runespoor?”
Suddenly she nodded to her own parchment, muttering an almost inaudible “Frogs.” That was an abrupt thought, disconnected from everything she asked before. The little animals were poison sponges. “Did anyone ever tried frogs?” She knew that was too trivial to never be tested, and Foley would probably laugh at the question, still she got curious about.
She was curious about anything that could come from that conversation, actually.
Una turned to Delilah at the end, leaving the quill over the parchment and smiling a little nervous, much as a mean to ask apologize for making so many questions at the same time – but knowing that each one of them were needed. For her, at least.
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Delilah gave a cheeky smile as she hummed and shook her head, "Can't answer you wit' anyt'ing short of an opinion, dear," she took long steps to reach the door, where she stopped and turned to face Una, "Better off finding out fer yourself wit' somebaddy who's seen one." She pushed open the door and beckoned the shorter witch to follow again.
Outside of the room Delilah continued her explanation, "Venomous frogs don't usually make it p'on hunters' menus, but 'dere may be tribes 'round Burkina Faso 'dat trade in a way 'can give you answers," she then move towards the lifts.
"Can't say talkin' to 'dem directly will get you anywhere, best to get your foot in th' their market and find someone to collaborate witchyou," she looked back to observe Freher again, aware the girl was interested in taking notes, but Delilah was wondering if she was moving at too quick a pace, "I'd reccommend a vacation if you want to brew though, don't know who'll want to band what at their leisure."
Once they entered the open lift area, Delilah turned and waited for a lift as she regarded Freher again, "I'm sure 'dere are some records on 'di t'ird floor if you'd like to hunt t'rough 'dem?"
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Una opened her mouth a few times, being about to tell something as Delilah went to the door; more likely a confused ‘Wait, where are we going?’. But at the end, speechless, she just took back her stuff, quickly and clumsily, and went to follow the Healer through the halls.
When Foley mentioned Burkina Faso, Una almost coughed, nervous. Could the Ministry send her to Burkina Faso? Really? She was able to turn the cough in a wry, strange smile though, but remained in silence.
The blonde was following the Healer in the same pace as hers, but carefully standing a step behind. She wasn’t able to imagine herself doing all that Delilah recommended. Even aware that maybe that was the better way to be useful, Una still longed to be left working in peace under the floors of the Ministry.
“Ah… I’ll see what’s possible, Healer Foley…” she said, uncertain. When Delilah turned to her to wait for the lift, she looked at her dark eyes, still a little insecure. But when she offered her to hunt for records at the third floor, Una smiled more brightly. “Ja, that would be great…” she nodded. Certainly far better than the previous ideas.
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The girl's nerves were practically dripping off of her, Delilah didn't hardly need to turn around and look at the shorter witch to know the anticipation and skittish apprehension lingering in her expression. Once they boarded the lift Delilah let the doors shut behind Freher and clamp shut with a definitive moment of silence.
"Best t' start little," she said as the lift unlocked itself from the stop, "Make friends if you'd rather not get yer bonfire lit so quick."
The lift then jerked and zoomed through the network of the building until they were on the third floor, and locked into place again as the doors slid open. "You can only be so ambitious sitting in 'di dark by yourself," the tall witch confirmed as she carried her tall form from the lift and turned to face the blonde with concern.
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During all the silently lift trajectory, Una looked around the walls and the ceiling absently, not knowing if she was supposed to say something to the Healer. She was mysteriously quiet, but it seemed to be… normal, to her. Or the younger witch hoped so, because for some reason being with her inside the lift that way was making her feel really uncomfortable.
"Best t' start little. Make friends if you'd rather not get yer bonfire lit so quick."
She finally said, and Una looked at her with interrogative eyes. Start little? Sure indeed. At least by all the terms the Healer suggested, that was by far the better option. But where exactly she would find those friends? When she was about to open her mouth to ask, though, Delilah spoke again while leaving the lift.
"You can only be so ambitious sitting in 'di dark by yourself."
Una followed Foley still quiet, but when she turned to her with that strange… concerned expression on her face, the blonde interrogative eyes turned into something rather oblique and her mouth twitched before she finally answer. “I’m not ambitious, Healer Foley, I just want to be useful,” which was a truth in her point of view. Her eager to embrace things, sometimes much bigger than her arms, wasn’t about gaining something to herself; she only wanted to prove that she worth the Unspeakable title and, on that case that involved people’s lives, that she could be able to help them.
“Besides, I’m here only because they sent me.” She held tight her parchment and looked around at the halls in front of them. She has just said another truth - they ordered, she obeyed. With only one week working there she wasn’t even able to tell with she would really take some important part on the matter or if she was there only to collect data and nothing more.
“Shall we continue?” she asked, lowering her voice so much that the question sounded like a whisper. Una noticed how she was talking to Foley, and afraid that the other witch could find that offensive, she regained her small, delicate and unsure posture.
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An airy chuckle tickled Delilah's throat as a smile pecked at her cheeks, "So you 'goin to do something helpful, but you don't know what you're doing?" The witch's dreadlocks patted againser her back as she began taking long strides down one of the hallways towards their library as Freher meekly retreated from the conversation again.
She lifted a slim palm into the air, uncurling her fingers with a light shrug, "I'm not sure what 'dey want either dear, but can't go on chasing nothing now, is 'dere?" her voice curled from an amusing swing to a harsh buzz.
Once they reached the door to the library, Delilah ran her hazel hand over the locks on the door, and they began to crank and turn to let her and Freher enter a wide room tightly packed and decorated with an assortment of tombs. "So what izzit you're going to do t'help, Freher? Any ideas?"
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Why that Healer should be so tough? And scaring and... Slightly annoying. Not that Una was able to express that kind of thought but for a second, behind Foley’s back, her face twitched inevitably, just like someone who ate a really bitter thing.
When they got to the library, she wasn’t in the mood to be impressed by the tombs and Delilah’s question - or else, the way she asked - made Una sight and close her disposition a little more. “Listen, Foley, I’m not the Healer here - you are.” She stated, seriously. “And it happens that you know better about this issue than I do, so, in the present moment, the only help I can offer is the will of learning everything there’s possible about it. Then I’ll make sure to do everything I can to be useful, but right now I’m in the dark, and I can’t work in the dark. Could you please have the kindness of bring me some light?” All that she said quickly, heavily serious, enjoying the sudden courage to do so before it vanishes.
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Delilah raised an eyebrow, still with a ghost of a smile peering on her face.,"I've told you everything I know, and I've offered what you can do," a hand snaked down to her hip and she looked down at the short witch with a nod of her chin, "but you didn't like any of it." Delilah, of course, had much more less legal thing she could tell Freher, but she wasn't about to do that so willingly.
"No, you aren't a healer--nor are you my daughter, so I don't know what you expect me to do witchyou," the smile on the older witch's face then faded to an indifferent line, as Delilah regarded the other witch with half-lidded eyes.
"If you expect me to have all 'di answers you best go stick your nose somewhere else, or find out what you want to do. Dere isn't much to teach you if you don't get a starting point, chile." There was no contempt in Delilah's tone, just a cordial criticism.
"It's your choice."
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How could she possibly judge if she liked something or not? Besides, “I’m not here to like or dislike anything, Healer Foley. I took notice of everything you said and it all will be considered.” She crossed her arms over the parchment, tight on her chest, face flushed with the feeling of affront. And it only got worse with Delilah’s next words.
Breathe, breathe, calm down. Una started a struggle inside her to try to expel that bad feeling. Wasn’t her purpose going there clear? Shame on the Ministry, shame on St. Mungo’s - but not on her. That wasn’t anything, absolutely anything personal. Why she seemed to treat it that way?
“Face the facts, Healer Foley: I’m not a Healer nor your daughter, das ist korrekt! I’m an Alchemist working to the Ministry of Magic and my superiors sent me here today to collect data with you, Healer, as a professional. Work. In cooperation. With you. As a professional.” Una punctuated, slowly and coldly. “That’s the only thing I expect, but now my hands are tied. I don’t have any experience with the case, and neither have my books; my cauldron; my plants; or any sample in hand to study it right now. My starting point here is questioning, is gain knowledge. But if you already stated you have no more answers, and if I’m allowed to continue my research here alone… then you’re dismissed!”
She looked at the witch in the eyes before turning the back on her, slightly trembling. Only then her eyes wet, but no tear ran down on her face. That kind of tear was destined to dry alone. “If you have any objection about my presence here you can complain with the Ministry as well, it’s none of my business. But if you still want to cooperate I can only assure you that we’re going to talk again soon. And the tone will be other.” Gott, how hard it was to say that… Una felt she was getting sick.
“Now it’s your choice.”
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The younger witches anger narrowed Delilah's dark eyes curiously, sharply--like a lioness ready to bare her teeth. "Data?" She dropped a shoulder back and drew to her full height, as she hissed out the phrase with biting ease, "You're looking at the library, aren't you chile?" A long hand swept a view over the rows and rows of tombs in the third floor's libary.
"I've given you knowledge on 'di matter, I've given you data--you can look at all 'di patients you like. You don't have to like anyt'ing I say, no," a single fine finger raised in front of Delilah before she pointed it down at the shorter witch, "but you are actin' like an ignorant toddler who doesn't want 'deir pox medicine--not someone who wants to collaborate."
"But wit' 'dat sort of tone and blatant ignorance, my choice?" Her brows cruelly rose as her voice dropped into a lilting growl, "Come back when you know what yer doing--'Di Ministry can take up 'dat decision wit' me personally." She had had enough of this little witch now, her sudden change in behavior, and her complete naivete of what it meant to do anything she had just said. It wasn't a one-way street in the real world, and she wasn't going to baby the girl.
Delilah shut the door to the library and bobbed her nose in the direction from where they had come. The exit. "Fer now, you may leave, else you will be escorted off th' premises." Delilah's arms crossed again, as she stood her ground, like a predator. If the girl even dared to open her mouth to speak again the Jamaican was quite sure the witch wouldn't step foot inside Mungo's again unless she was in escorted in on a stretcher.
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Her sort of tone and her blatant ignorance? Really? Una started to recall the last minutes, just to formulate a thousand reasons why she strongly believed she wasn’t the one who started to take the conversation in a non-professional, offensive way. But she felt that she was unable to open her mouth again without vomiting by nervous on Foley’s feet. And the whole thing was stressful and humiliating enough without that.
So she didn’t speak anymore; she didn’t look at Foley anymore and she certainly didn’t need to be threatened to leave - trembling, pale and slightly catatonic, like one who has just dealt with a Dementor.
What had just happened? The power to recall the whole meeting started to fail as soon as she started to breathe again, instead of just pull that heavy air to her lungs and push out. Did she…? Was she just…? What the…? Gott, most importantly, was Foley right? All the reasons she had to stand and say, hardly, yes, but still she did said all that to the Healer - all her belief that she was the right one just crashed on her mind. She was wrong. She wished she could turn back in time and shut her mouth sooner, no matter how she felt attacked by the other witch. In the end Foley was just like her sister and Una understood why her father always interceded before that sort of thing happen.
If there was a next time, she would probably go out, breathe some air and take some water before answer anything to Foley. Or just not answer at all. That’s if she still got her job. In any case, it was a good thing to pray before heading to the Ministry, even if it was standing on a Muggle’s sidewalk.