Elixa had been glancing at the clocks in the apothecary with decreasing patience, waiting for lunch to arrive. Though, she reminded herself at regular intervals that the witch she was hoping to meet could equally be delayed by duty. Still, she was more excited than usual at the prospect of a chat over lunch. She'd been pouring her efforts the past week into getting to know some of the faces here at the hospital, finding her feet.

Sat facing the doorway of the tea room, Elixa hoped that Joy Torret from the third floor wasn't delayed. She'd been glad to meet the healer earlier that week while running an errand to the floor to restock and brew a batch of remedies after a whole family had been admitted with poisoning from an over excited relative who'd tried to turn nouveau cuisine into something magical, and ended up turning them all a sickly green colour with red spots.

Joy had taken the time to explain the malady to Elixa, who'd been captivated, and then profusely apologised for taking up so much of the healer's time. The woman was clearly a born healer, and a personality Elixa aspired to. All the more she watched and spoke to these healers, she itched to resume her training with had been aborted in her twenties, but there was still a fear of those people who had died unexpectedly as she treated them which haunted her thoughts.

She beamed at Abigail, who looked after the tea room, and when a familiar figure appeared, hopped to her feet politely.
"Hello, thanks for joining me for lunch. Have you got much time, or are things busy?" Elixa asked.
"Let me get you some lunch, I should repay you for the insight the other day. I'm pretty sure Abigail's not going to turn us green with red pox..." She smiled, pleased to see the healer, and the possibility of chatting over lunch, even for a brief moment. 

Joy had been more than willing to accept when Elixa asked for her to join her during her lunch break. It was far more interesting than eating lunch alone in her office while looking at patient's paperwork, and she quite liked Elixa. Joy had seen the sparkle in her eyes when she had explained why it was an incredibly stupid idea to add dragon blood to a sauce containing ingredients of an Aging Potion.

The minute her lunch break began Joy hurried up the two flights of stairs into the tea room. Seeing Elixa jump up at the sight of her made her smile. "Hello, Elixa. My apologizes if you had to wait. I have my normal lunch break, twenty five minutes, I can't stay any longer. But if it's quite on my floor, you could come to my office to talk."

She hadn't even settled and Elixa was already offering to pay for her lunch. "Alright," Joy accepted the offer with a smile, taking a seat. "But nothing more than a little lunch as repayment, really. I'll never as for any payment in exchange for knowledge." Except from St. Mungo's, and they never denied her that.

After they settled in, Joy began the conversation. "So how long have you been working with antidotes? The one you brewed the other day was flawless, and it wasn't a particularly easy one."

"I'll never ask for any payment in exchange for knowledge." Elixa gave Joy a warm smile, and a nod, respecting her wishes, but sneaking this lunch in regardless. Perhaps one day, wine, dinner... don't be so forward her conscience warned her. It had been a while since she'd been the new girl.

"So how long have you been working with antidotes? The one you brewed the other day was flawless, and it wasn't a particularly easy one."

Colour rose to her cheeks at Joy's kind words.
"You're too kind. I'm sure it could have done with a little adjustment, you know? Potency just a little imbalanced in my opinion." Her hands mimicked scales over their lunch.

"I've been a proper apothecary for over ten years. Wow, I forget its been that long, you know, and that was after doing a bit of training with the hospital." She looked surprised at her age and experience a moment, "But I've always enjoyed brewing. Wasn't so much call for it when you dispense potions brewed elsewhere over the counter, but I used to take a particular delight in brewing the batches for some of the niche cases. One of the reasons I applied to come here and work. I saw the way things were, and could hardly stop myself getting in and helping out - when I was really just here the other year to try and sell supplies and services to the place."

She waved a hand. Branch manager of an apothecary had been easy, but trying to get those products into Britain after the saleswizards had failed was impossible, even with her reasoning and experience with treating and using the ingredients. It had made her respect the green robed healers in London even more.

"That one was a good challenge, and I really was fascinated by your explanation of their condition. The way the boils form under the skin in reaction. The other apothecaries thought I'd moved in officially on your floor, I bent your ear for far too long. I am now, oh dear!" Putting a hand to her mouth as if to stop herself she gave a self conscious nod of the head.

"Any time I can help, you only have to send word. I'd much rather brew you a tailored brew and investigate the results than treat twenty common colds and a gammy leg downstairs. Its what I came here to do."

Her eyes lit up. "Have you had any interesting cases today?"

Joy couldn't help but laugh when Elixa commented on how long she'd been an apothecary. "Oh, I've been at this hospital for thirty years. Time seems to continue at an ever-quickening pace. But I'd give up my time at the drop of a robe knowing that it is being given to another." She smiled at Elixa, expecting that the woman must feel the same. "Commitment to being a healer rides on that, but I'm sure you understand that."

Joy laughed, putting her hand on Elixa's lowered one. "Bend my ear for as long as my lunch lasts, I don't mind." She removed her hand, relaxing in her chair. Joy had worked with many healers-in-training before, and bashfulness was one of those traits that she had dealt with over and over.

"If you're that interested in pus, I'd recommend looking for a medical book. I have one in my home library, I could lend it to you. Any proud wizard will tell you that magic and science have little correlation, but that's truly wrong when it comes to healing. To understand poisons, it's vital to understand the science of the immune system." Admittedly, when creating custom cures, understanding alchemic methods was far more important, but most alchemy couldn't be simply textbook taught.

There it was! That glow again, as if she was seeing a child trapped within the body of a woman. Joy felt like a storyteller; gather 'round and hear the latest tale the elder has for the younger ones. "Interesting in whose definition?" she asked, amused. "If yours, then yes. You see, as Healer-in-Charge, I only get quickly fatal cases and cases with unknown cures, which means I only see a person or two per day."

Joy leaned forward, as if the case she'd had in the morning was some incredibly amazing gossip. "I had a man come in today, I'll spare his name, who had bought a quarter pint of acromantula venom, I'm assuming in Knockturn Alley, and was attempting to put it into some potion involving an ashwinder egg. As he was attempting to channel magic into the cauldron, the potion exploded and melted the cauldron. I'm surprised he was even able to apparate himself to the hospital, he arrived completely blind with his skin melting in places."

Joy paused, her face reflecting some mix of amused and disappointed. "I will tell you now that if a potion explodes it is very bad to scream, because you open your mouth and make yourself vulnerable to the obviously unstable magic entering your mouth." Joy checked her watch. "I still have fifteen minutes, would you like me to spend the rest of the time explaining why my patient turned out as he did?"

Joy lived up to her name - even with the discussion of books for pus!

"The science of the immune, yes, I know a little of it, yes," Elixa agreed, though she hadn't read into any great depth of it, and not for a decade or so.

"One or two a day?" Elixa was a little surprised, but she supposed it made sense. Joy would be overseeing and supervising other healers on her floor.

She let Joy explain the case of the quarter pint of acromantula venom with ashwinder egg.

"Merlin!" Elixa exclaimed quietly, her eyes wide as she pictured the scene of the wizard blinded and severely burned. A hand had gone to her own mouth again, especially given Joy's comment of opening your mouth to scream.

"Burns, inside, how - but that wouldn't be survived, surely? He'd lose so much water from his body - how on earth would you start to treat that?" She half whispered, not sure if it was safe to let anyone overhear, it might put them off their lunch.

Elixa, meanwhile, was happily continuing with hers…

"If you can spare the time, tolerating my monopolisation?" The apothecary replied to Joy. "I am imagining bathing, cold against the burns, sedation…"

Joy nodded. "Sedation, yes, the first thing I had to do was cast a Frozen Life Charm. I am sure you learned in school it is the best way to slow the spread of toxins through the blood stream, and it is a magical sedation. You must be careful with patients who have ingested unstable magic, unless you are sure whatever potions you are giving them will neutralize and stabilize the magic it is far safer to use spells." As Joy talked, it became obvious she was quickly forgetting about her lunch, caught up in the explanations.

"I also cast Blood Flow Charms on all wounds I could find, there were a lot, and a Vomit-Inducing Charm. Vomiting is the easiest way to rid the body of ingested toxins, but you also have to be extremely careful with vomit toxic and possibly acidic enough to burn one's skin." She listed off the precautions as nonchalantly as an automated voice. "After that I put a Bubble-Head Charm on him and he was put to bath in a tub of an antidote for his burns and the poison."

"The supply of Phoenix Tears on the floor was nearly exhausted, which is quite an issue I need to focus on later, as Phoenix Tears are a vital part of our emergency antidote supply."  Here she paused, cringing slightly, thinking of all the work she would have to do when she returned from lunch.

The hospital had suppliers for their Phoenix Tears, yes, but they were few and worked poorly with orders. Phoenixes weren't creatures able to be trained to cry on demand. Yet, if another emergency such as this were to occur tomorrow...

Joy cleared her mind of the thought, refocusing on her story, her lunch now totally forgotten. "He's soaking for six consecutive hours, for the first half hour his blood was checked for poison levels every minute, after that it dropped to every ten minutes. His digestive system was also effectively flushed further, and he was administered Blood-Replenishing Potion until his circulatory system stabilized."

"Further treatment will take place once he's finished soaking. If all goes well, he will be out of the hospital in two days. Blind, of course, but alive. Phoenix tears are a fast acting antidote, unlike others, the majority of his treatment is healing the burns and regrowing any damaged external and internal tissue."

Story finished, Joy looked at Elixa, now more in depth, her neutral expression changing to one of consideration, then curiosity. "If you wanted, Elixa, I could let you come into the hospital to see the man while he's still under Frozen Life. For..." she smiled, "Job consideration purposes, let's say. I know how much you love to see the hospital in action, and as long as you promise no interference..."[1]

1.	I apologize for 1)The rambly-ness of the post and 2)Any sort of lacking in it, bit rusting with RPing.

For any ordinary witch outside of working in St Mungo's, the treatment sounded extensive but awfully difficult to go through. In the mind's eye of the apothecary, she could keenly see the scene as she interpreted the detailed description from the senior healer. Between the two of them, they had forgotten about eating and were rather wrapped up in the case.

"Two days! Remarkable!" Elixa exclaimed, forgetting herself, but marvelling at Torret's efficient treatment, "and yes, phoenix tears are so very dear, but can be the difference between life and death in critical cases. I'll see to it myself that we try and increase the number of suppliers - or even investigate the possibility of having a phoenix kept here with the hospital."

Her newness to the hospital gave her an innocent naivety of why such a system was not necessarily in place, but the determination to see things put right by bringing her outside perspective and experience to the team.

"I would hate to intrude, but as you say, for study purposes, I would be honoured to shadow and understand his situation, and help all I can." Her earnest nods confirmed this.

"To be a healer with such knowledge and ability to bring patients away from the brink of death despite their foolish actions to cause their malady has been an aspiration of mine for many years, but things didn't quite work out to plan. But I'm older, and hopefully wiser, and certainly amongst some of the best in Europe if not the world." Her gushing appeared suddenly insincere in her head, self-doubt kicking in. Still, there was no harm in observing, she couldn't exactly do away with a patient by watching.

"Two days, though? Is that purely down to the phoenix tears?" The apothecary asked, still quite stunned at the speed considering the description and intensity of the injuries, even without seeing them with her own eyes.

"Heavens, do eat your lunch, I've quite monopolised your time!" Elixa exclaimed, realising the two of them had stopped eating to chatter.

Keeping a phoenix in the hospital? If only it was that easy... Joy smiled politely, showing appreciation for Elixa. "Thank you, it would be greatly appreciated if you were to find some other source of Phoenix Tears. But we will not be able to keep a phoenix. That was tried a long time ago, it didn't work out well." While attempting to treat a patient, the phoenix had been angered and ended up setting fire to the room. Or at least that was the story she'd been told when she'd began working with the Phoenix Tear supply.

Elixa's enthusiastic response delighted Joy. Those were not words to be thrown about, and Joy saw a woman who had approached, but not yet reached, her desired line of work. "I'm glad to hear that. Nothing is better for the hospital than healers dedicated to helping others."

"And yes, as an optimistic prediction, two days. You must remember that Phoenix Tears act so quickly they can cure a fatal poison in a single wound in a matter of seconds. The only reason this patient's poison is taking longer is we have a smaller supply to spread across more wounds, it's diluted."

Joy glanced to a clock, laughing. "Oh dear, it does seem my lunch break is over." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "No matter, I've had enough." She wrapped the remains of her lunch and stood, motioning to the apothecary to follow. "Come on Elixa, I'll bring you to the patients room and tell the healers that you're shadowing."[1]

1.	You can have last post. (unless you prefer I wrap things up in a response)

What a fortunate lunch appointment this had become! Elixa could have been considered a little strange for being overjoyed to discuss pus and serious potion explosion injuries, but it was second nature from growing up with healers for parents. There was a distinct spring in her step as she followed Joy back to her floor, keen to learn and observe as much as she could. Not to mention there being a distinct possibility of running into the delectable Hollingbury while focused on the task.

Torret and her team had to be able to continue to do their wonderful work, and she was determined to find out how they could increase their phoenix tears supply to treat such critical cases. She might well be cheating nature for an extra day, but that could make all the difference.


End