Enraged Sewing

[Lixue]

Spring 2nd, 512 AV Lixue was at the Coolwater Hold helping with the casualties. The storm had destroyed most of their living space and was half under flooded. Many had died and even more were injured. The Whitevine Hold had jumped to help, running to the aid with herbs, bandages, and other medicinal devices. Currently, Lixue was sitting cross logged on the soggy ground next to a person who was holding out a thick leg, also seated on the ground. The appendage had a large gash in, deep enough for sutures to be necessary. A Vantha, Nolo, was squatting next to her, speaking in common. "Jaynel is from the Coolwater Hold. While trying to escape the onrush of water, he managed to hurt himself. Unfortunately, with the backup of victims from these horrible happenings, Jaynel was pushed toward the back of the line. Patients with more serious injuries, or are near death, are first priority in emergencies. Since he had to wait so long, the wound became infected. We believe the fact that he will not quit poking at it, had something do with it." An annoyed look was shot at the burly man. "He seems to be enraged at the easily things. Because of this, we were forced to bind his hands behind his back in an attempt to keep him from harming anyone." Else echoed silently between Lixue and the Vantha. Jaynel rolled his yellow eyes. "As you do not know how to sew a wound shut, I will be teaching you." Lixue had requested learning how. If she were to help people, she would have to know more than simply cleaning an injury. Lixue had collected the necessary tools to suture a gash; a needle, strong thread, scissors, several rags, and things to help clean the wound. All were laid out on a clean, white cloth. The rags were off to one end, in case they leaked; they would not cover everything else. The needle and thread were right next to one another; the needle already threaded. The scissors and cleaning items were organized from largest to smallest. "I see you already have everything we need. The thread will have to be replaced. It is better to use string that has not been tainted by any dyes. They could have a negative effect on the wound." Nodding to show she understood, Lixue placed the spool off to the side. "I believe I have…" A rustle as Nolo checked his pockets, "Aha! Here we go." He held out the pure white, even clear, thread. She set it next to the needle, replacing the other. "Do you know how to drain an infected injury?" When an injury became purulent, it showed. The wound would turn red, possibly swell, and sometimes oozed thick yellow liquid. It would also feel hot to the touch. A thin, easily removable, scab would form over the top. Lixue believed the cover was the body's way of keeping the bad things out and making it worse. If the infection was horrible, a red line would travel up the appendage, originating from the lesion. More than once had she dealt with a festering injury. Taking the initiative, she moved took hold of the man's right leg, setting his foot down on the opposite side of her knees. The abrasion was on his outer calf. The scab was unceremoniously wiped away. "You may feel a pinch, or a tingling sensation. Please keep your limb where it is. Thank you." Lixue absentmindedly tossed a rag into her lap. One hand was placed under the muscle, one on top. Lixue placed her thumbs on either side of the gash; it was nearly as long as her middle finger, too! Pressing inwards with the outer tips of her thumbs, she began to put force on the wound. Creamy liquid began leaking out, running down his skin in a jagged line. The flesh felt hot and slippery to the touch. Lixue released and repeated the step in the same spot and slowly made her way from the top of the wound to the bottom until no more pus could be seen. A dribble of blood had begun trickling out. "What are you trying to do, kill me!" Jaynel roared, face red and eyes trained on Lixue's hands. "What if I die from this, huh? What then, pipsqueak!" Breathing hard and tense to the touch, he tugged against the rope tying his hands. Calmly, Lixue told the man, "You will not die from this. I am not trying to kill you. If you do not have this leg helped medically, you will lose it. Please calm down." Professional and detached. Nolo whistled low and long at her tone of voice. "You mean business, eh?" Nolo questioned. A jerky nod as Lixue finished with the pus removal. "From here, we will clean. I am certain you know how to do this, correct?" Instead of replying, Lixue reached for the bottle of alcohol by on the cloth and grabbed the rag from her lap in the other hand. Uncapping the liquid, Lixue wadded the rag up and held it firmly on the mouth of the bottle before tipping the bottle upwards. Slowly, the stench of alcohol filled the air and the fabric. Taking the scrap, she pressed it determinedly against the gash; her other hand held tightly onto his leg. Howling with pain, the man tried to fling his leg in her direction. Lixue moved with it, less from choice than to avoid being kicked. Even still, the action caused Lixue to hit her collarbone with her knuckles. A wince was suppressed. "Jaynel!" Nolo commanded. The injured man stilled suddenly. Lixue repeated the process again and again, even once lightly pouring the liquid onto the wound. "Alright. From here, we will move onto suturing the wound. Hold your needle in your dominant hand." Unsure as to why he was silent, Lixue glanced up. The reason was quickly identified. The man had somehow undone the rope binding him. Jaynel ripped his leg from her hold and, at the same time, brought his fist around to smack into her cheek! It was obvious he was aiming for her nose, but he clipped her cheekbone. The breath was knocked out of her, even as she awkwardly fell backwards. "You will not stick that thing into me, you tiny little freak!" Jaynel roared as he tried to get his hands around her throat. "I will kill you first!" Reacting only by instinct, as she had no idea what to do, Lixue brought her hands up to cover her face. The pin pressed against her skin. Lucky was she it had not stabbed her. As Jaynel brought his fist back, Lixue drove the needle into his thigh. Nolo was trying to pull him off of the petite girl. Howling in a mixture of rage and pain, Jaynel cupped his leg only for a few ticks, enough for Lixue to scramble backwards on her bum, before his eyes latched onto her. Oh. Well. Crap.

[Banir Ironwood]

It had not been a very pleasant past few days since the storm. Not with the constant rage mixed with a strange uplifting mood. Worse was all the rubble in the street, and the bodies. There where still a lot scattered throughout the whole mess that had become Avanthal. With the heat weave causing much of the flooding, the shift to lighter clothing was uncomfortable at first but a welcomed relief. A lighter green coat dirty from clearing rubble out of the busier roads, the hood shadowing his eyes. The scarf that helped hide his face, it had remained clean for the most part. Staining against the clean white but it at least it wasn't coated. The clawed metal armour on his right arm had a few more scuffs now, the damaged masonry was reason for that. His metal clad boots ridden in mud and the blood of the bodies that had yet to be cleared of the streets. But this brought him to the reason as to why he was here. A body was held in his arms, he didn't know who it was, how old they where, or how they had died. But what he did know is that someone would probably know what to do with, them. And with that in mind the large young man had decided to bring what he had found to the Coolwaterhold. Someone would want this body and say good bye to whomever had dwelt within.

What he found shouldn't have been surprising but none the less it gave him pause. Coolwater was over run with wounded and dying. With the ground slick with the gore of the injured he would wager there was more in here than out in he streets. Gathering himself again he walked into the crowded hold, there was barely enough room to move around. How the medical staff managed to without tripping over someone was miraculous. Moving through the crowd his red eyes rimmed with yellow tried to find a place to put the dead person. If he stayed and kept walking around he would only get in the way. He could hear the moaning, groaning and coughing of those still awake with injuries.

Then came several shouts. Someone was either making trouble or planning on making it. Maybe he could be of use here after all, rather than just carrying the dead. A silence came upon his ears, shouting stopped but only to grow more persistent and violent. Easily he recognized the signs of rage in here where healers, not fighters. Quickly he knelt before a man with a heavily bandaged head. Setting the dead person on beside them, or more accurately atop them. There was just no room for people to sit down comfortably. Not wanting to just leave his new dead friend without saying good bye in some way would be rude live or not. So he tapped the lifeless shoulder of the man he had carried as his way of saying good bye.

Standing and turning he saw a rather small young woman being assaulted by a man with the look of rage in his eyes. This spurred his own and he charged, the girl was on the ground backing away. Another held the man from behind, this granted a perfect shot. Options, so many options, face? No he might break his nose, more mess fro the already busy healers. Chest? Probably not, might break a rib. Gut? Looks good, maybe knock the wind out of him or at least subdue him.

With this in his mind Banir charged forward and lept over the small girl. It was easy wit her so low to the ground. When he landed he had two short steps before contact. One, his left arm was raised and reeling back. Two, tightly coiled and ready to spring forward eyes locked on his target.

Thump thump

Two quick shots to the gut, not his strongest but the man didn't exactly look like much of a warrior. Besides there was nothing right about beating on an already wounded man. The muscles in his arm started to loosen as he reached for the man's arm. Grabbing it he moved the Vantha holding him and quickly twisted it behind his back. He kept it level near injured man's back, if he lifted it too high the arm would dislocate. Something he had the unpleasant experience given to him from his father. The two shots to the gut had stunned the man a little better than he thought. Putting his armoured arm around the man's neck he kicked out his legs and sat his rear on his knee. Slowly lowering to the ground he removed his knee and sat the man down. Kneeling on one leg just behind him he kept his arm around the neck and held onto the arm.

He was slightly proud of himself, reacting this fast and managing to sub do the violent man. The punch ups he'd had gone through had definitely helped him out. If anything he at least knew how to take someone down and restrain them. From behind the man he saw the girl, she looked a little pale. Was she sick? A moment after that thought ran through his mind his gruff and graveled voice spoke.

"Are you, alright?" Sweet and simple, it was all that needed to be said. This disaster was bad but it was worse since anyone with Vantha eyes where locked in emotion. Made cooperation hard, the silent rage and upbeat emotions made it hard to think but even he realized that simple fact.

[Lixue]

Lixue had been frightened of the man. He could have done so much damage and she would not have been able to do anything. Jaynel had wanted to literally kill her. She could see it in his eyes. The man had been slowly moving closer while Lixue slid backward, using her bad leg as a crutch. Suddenly, a shape had literally launched over the top of her. Lixue had trouble following all of the motions the savior made, but it was apparent the stranger sought o help. When she realized what the unknown man was doing to subdue Jaynel, Lixue scrambled to her feet. The man was hurting Jaynel! A punch here and there, as if there had been no other choice. Sure, Nolo had not been able to restrain him, but surely more than one person could have! "Hey!" Lixue shouted, green eyes narrowed on the stranger who was kneeling behind the now controlled Jaynel. "I will not tolerate more harm done to an already injured man." The tone was icy. "I appreciate your help, but please, release your arm from his neck. Nolo, if you will rebind his arms?" Lixue's eyes flickered to the doctor who, at the manner of her attitude, jumped to do so. More politely, but still as blunt, she continued, "I am Lixue of the Whitevine Hold. May I ask who you are?" There was no point in asking why the dirty man was here at the Coolwater Hold. With such conditions, a thousand different jobs revolved around one destruction. Who was this man to punch an apparently wounded Vantha? Was he daft? Did he not see the gash along Jaynel's leg? Or had he simply been oblivious in a rush to fight? Her eyes ran over his form. Dirty and a hint of blood. Had the man been carrying someone who was hurt? Had the body been dumped unceremoniously upon seeing Jaynel attack? "I see you have blood upon your jacket. I have compelled to ask if you were holding a living person before you," a hesitation while she pushed back a not so friendly word, "interrupted abruptly." Her fingers tangled together, the only outward sign of her worry. A black eyebrow was arched and thin lips were pursed. A sigh was exhaled softly. "I do apologize. I seem to be a tad worked up after such an unexpected encounter." Lixue dipped her head apologetically. Calmly, she knelt before Jaynel. The needle was still in his leg, after all. Shaking fingers curled around the pin before carefully removing it. "I do hope you did not cause him too much harm." Jaynel appeared out of breath. His dark hair was disheveled and red tinted his cheeks. Loudly did he breathe, as though gulping at oxygen. Lips the color of his olive toned skin were parted. Yellow eyes were still latched onto Lixue's petite form. Taking the man's wrist, Lixue counted the beats for a full chime. Ninety-five. A touch high, but surely the cause of being beaten upon. Glancing up at the stranger, Lixue offered a tentative smile. Her green eyes did not linger on his scarred face, even though the scarf was circled around his neck now. "Did I verbally express my appreciation yet? I do not believe so. Thank you for stepping in; without you I may have been seriously hurt and in need of a doctor myself!" She glanced away, at Nolo. "You may need to take lessons from this man, Nolo." Reaching forward, Lixue's cold fingers pushed into Jaynel's tense stomach. She was searching for any broken bones. Beginning near the middle, she would press down and make a large circle before releasing. This technique was continued all the way up to the middle of Jaynel's chest. No ribs were broken, but she could not estimate about any internal damage. Men fought all the time and it seemed to be rare if anything internal happened; Lixue figured there would only be simple bruising. "As it seems Nolo cannot restrain him, and I do not wish to repeat the process, would you mind staying here and, for the lack of a better phrase, protecting both of us?"

[Banir Ironwood]

Banir's mind had to think slowly before talking, it was hard for him to answer questions sometimes. With the need to collect his thoughts before answering, his eyes darted about then looked down. His face was a bright red of embarrassment and shame as he replaced the position of his scarf. Later he would need to tighten it again and recheck the knot at the back. Though scene for only a moment the horrendous scars where entrenched upon his face. A large portion of his nose was gone and the flesh looked it had been burned badly. Complementing the deep sections of woven tissue that had once been missing. Now that the white cloth once again covered the horrid marks Banir spoke again. The graveled voice speaking in a slow, almost like it hurt to speak.

"I apologize, if my actions, where too much. He was a threat, to you and those, around him. I thought it, would have been, best if I, prevented him from, harming others. My name is, Banir Ironwood." Though he had spoken politely and his kindness seemed genuine, it appeared he wasn't quite comfortable talking with her. His red and yellow eyes seem to be avoiding her gaze but not from guilt. Though it was dishonorable to strike a wounded man; Banir just seemed reluctant to speak.

When Lixue went to work his eyes watched, she continued to speak and he listened. The arm he held kept Jaynel restrained, and Banir's armoured arm had moved to his shoulder. Lightly he tapped the bladed claw against Jaynel's shoulder in case he got any ideas. Deciding to speak with more quick answers so he'd take up less time for Lixue to concentrate on two things at once. "I carried a dead, person I found. Brought him here, see if anyone, knew him. And do not, worry I can, understand." It was short and sweet, but gave the necessary information.

Banir had not wished to cause too much harm to the injured man. Only enough to prevent him from rising again. Besides if he had wanted to seriously harm Jaynel he would have kneed the wound. Punched his face with his stronger armoured hand, and then restrain him. But if he did that then he'd just be making things worse for the already over worked staff. And as he saw Lixue working he couldn't help but admire and pity her at the same time. She was working hard to save lives and help people, but there where just so many. He wondered if she had even gotten any sleep since the wounded had poured in.

Though Banir had found her comment funny, he didn't laugh. Actually the more he thought on it the less funny it got. If she got injured then that would put more strain on the rest making things worse. He managed to shake the thought before it began to turn into an endless loop; as it too often did. He found her last comment slightly flattering, which helped bolster his spirit somewhat.

His knees where getting sore, and the smell of blood where starting to bother him. With nothing else but to restrain the man before him he swiftly got bored. And so he turned his attention to Lixue as she worked. Seeing her hands and the rest of her body he just realized how small she was. If he hadn't stepped in maybe she would have been just demolished by the enraged man.

Hearing her last comment he looked to the dead man he had set down. He wasn't exactly going to be up and about anytime soon. A man who could fight and be physically stronger than most might be of help. Slowly he started to nod. "I, will help."

[Lixue]

Lixue had to strain to hear the man speak. Besides nearly mumbling, the scarf had been readjusting to cover his face. She had seen nothing to hide or be ashamed of, but obviously Banir felt awkward. How could she make him more comfortable? More relaxed? Lixue had to hide her frown and force her nose not to scrunch. Her greens eyes flickered up to catch his red and yellow ones, held for several ticks before Lixue went back to facing Jaynel. Banir was large, yes, and should have been scary, but Lixue could only think of Banir as a wounded child stuck inside a man's body. The feeling could not be explained and neither could the reasoning of her belief, but she felt protective over him. Perhaps it was because he seemed shy? Or maybe it was the cause of him appearing beaten? Did Lixue even have the right to feel akin to a mother hen with her chicks; protective and fussy? Nolo broke into Lixue's thoughts with, "Now, if we can continue where we left off.." Lixue nodded, short black hair shaking. A small breeze had picked up and teased her skin into goosebumps. This did not mean she was cold, though. Morwen's mark helped keep the chills away and, besides, all of the snow had melted. The day was hotter than Avanthal ever should have been. Truly, a wind was welcome. Lixue was uncomfortably sticky in the hot weather. Idly, a drop of sweat ran down her cheek. She flicked it away unconsciously. "First, you must… Wait, no… Oh, Morwen… where did I leave off?" Nolo seemed confused and forgetful but, with a warm smile, Lixue easily helped him remember. "Oh, yes! Hold the needle in your dominant hand." Lixue cleansed the needle using the alcohol again, as it had been inside Jaynel's leg, on the ground, and in her own hand. To do this, she simply dipped the needle into the liquid. Next, the thread had to go through the eye of the needle. Shutting her left eye, Lixue pinched the thread between two fingers and tried to poke it through. Three tries were necessary before it slid through. Lixue also readjusted Jaynel's leg, though he seemed slightly unwilling, so it lay flat on the ground, calf up. "Hold the needle between your thumb and forefinger, or first." Lixue did and Nolo reached down with somewhat shaking hands to readjust them. "There you go. Good! Now, you will want a medium length piece of thread trailing behin-Oh, you already do. Swell! Hold the skin taut. As you are just beginning, I will do this for you." The man seemed nervous around Jaynel now and hesitantly touched the hairy leg. "Other times, you may want to pucker the skin, or pinch it so you can stab the needle in easier. Remember, you want to play the stitches as far away from the wound as it is deep. Also try to keep the stiches the same distance apart as you did the distance from the wound." A nod from Lixue. "Now, piece the skin at a downward angle. Never straight down; you will not be able to stitch like that. Go toward the mark." Doing as instructed, Lixue pressed the tip of the needle into flesh. Easily did it slip under and start toward the injury. "Now bring the pin back up." How? She wanted to ask. But instead of doing so, Lixue tried to think the process through. The answer came quickly. If you had to push the end of the needle up to go down, then it would be necessary to push the end down to go up. Lixue tested this. The pin's tip did arch upward. When she pulled the needle through the skin on the other side, Lixue looked expectantly back at Nolo. "The piece of thread not connected to the spool, pull that through." Lixue did so, wondering how it felt to Jaynel, who had his eyes clenched and hands fisted. "Take the scissors and cut the string still connected to the thread about four inches from the wound." Lixue did so quickly. "Using both ends, pull upward and tight. Slowly, gently. If you are too rough, it will tear and you will have to redo the whole thing." Carefully, Lixue pulled both ends up before crossing them in an X and sliding one strand underneath. "You can tighten it to almost half an inch above the skin. More if the wound is large. Make sure to double knot it, tightly. Then clip off the excess length. Repeat the process all the way up the lesion." Carefully, Lixue did. Her fingers ached by the end of the stiches. "Use the alcohol to clean the whole thing." Lixue dumped only a bit of the liquid onto the now stitched wound. Jaynel hissed between his teeth. "And you are done." Nolo practically ran away before Lixue could say anything. Was the man really that nervous of Jaynel?

[Banir Ironwood]

Kneeling behind Jaynel, who had grown silent since his assault. With nothing to do keep Jaynel's arm positioned against his back and maintain a dominance with him. There was little for him to do, as he looked around the clinic. Used to the smell and sight of gore, even he felt his stomach lurch at the sight. The room stuffed to capacity. People taking up so much room as they sat, lay, stood, all just trying to find a spot. All had blood or bruises covering their bodies, few had bandages. The medical help wouldn't save everyone, that was slowly becoming evident. It was more than a little depressing to see, in fact he was probably going to leave once his usefulness had run out here. All he was really good for was restraining the more violent or uncooperative patients, or moving something heavy. Otherwise he'd just take up needed space, and the last thing he wanted to do was get in the way of the healers.

The desire to carve slowly grew, at least it would be something to do, something to distract his mind. Unfortunately he lacked both the wood and the extra pair of arms necessary to do it. His mind snapped out of thought, he looked at Lixue and Nolo. Their conversation had disrupted his thoughts for a moment. Something about dominate hands? To be honest he didn't really care. It was all medical knowledge he couldn't focus on. Each time they said something he started to just drown it out. Turning his eyes to the man he had restrained, though all he saw was the back of his head. He could almost feel the rage held within the man. Not exactly a master at rage himself, he could at least tell its symptoms. Tensed muscles, shorter breaths, either that or it was from watching the cut being sewn.

Jaynel tried to break free of Banir's grip, a reassuring squeeze and tap of against the neck with one of his bladed claws. Jaynel quickly calmed down, the stronger person almost always won. At least it did in his view. He didn't really like this man very much, where he uninjured and able to fight. Banir would thoroughly enjoy hurting him. It was probably the anger talking, but the man had done little to improve his opinion. But this brought him back to his current situation.

Restraining a man for a small woman so she could fix his injury. Lixue was rather small even for a Vantha she was stout. He only realized this as he watched her, but confused himself as to how he got to this topic in his mind. This was getting annoyed, his gripped reflected this as it slowly squeezed Jaynel's arm. Realizing what he was doing he eased up and silently apologized. An old habit his father had beaten into him.

At least he wasn't bored now, his mind had escaped into fantasies. Many of which involved wishing he had better memories. The only good ones he could recall are meeting Aiza, and Falix. They had been very kind to him, helped him when he needed it. Alea was a good person, or at least he kinda thought that. She at least meant well, maybe. He couldn't vouch for Yuros since he just did as Alea told him to. Oluse was a very nice guy, a little weak, not just physically either. But Lixue reminded him of his friends, obviously not all of them. But she had that kind intention, and she didn't seem weak.

Jaynel struggled against him again, Banir's thoughts had relaxed his grip. Moving his arm from behind his back, Jaynel moved to elbow Banir in the face. Simultaneously he went to strike at Lixue, he needed to regain the situation. Swiftly he moved his shoulder pad in the way, with the resounding metal pang Banir swiftly grabbed the crook of the elbow. Barely managing to grab the second arm, he had to grip the back of the bicep. The metal claw dug into the skin a little. But it was barely a flesh wound, yanking back he moved his hand and restrained by the elbows. Holding them he was starting to greatly dislike this man. Though this was partly his fault, he was slipping, he shouldn't get too distracted. Last thing he wanted was for a good person to be hurt.

[Lixue]

Lixue knew she was not completely finished. The wound still needed to be wrapped. If it was not and instead was left open to the elements, infections would take over. If this happened, Lixue was not certain of the effect on the stitches, it would have. This was her first time completing such a medical feat. Proud of herself, she let a small smile slide across her pink lips. Never before had Lixue been able to say she had successfully stitched an injury closed! In the future, if not today, she would be able to put the skill to use. Up a step on a ladder had Lixue moved! With the bandage, Lixue held the end on the top of the leg, instead of near the calf. If she did, there was a large risk of pulling the stitches out. Carefully, she circled around Jaynel's appendage, setting the wrapping softly on the wound itself. Lixue repeated the process several more times, layering the bandages. When the end ran out, she simply tucked it under a layer before knotting it twice. If the man did not rip it off in a fit of rage, the wound be fine for a day. After that point, he would have to have the bandage changed or risk infection. And infection in such an area would be dangerous to handle. There were certain situations where the leg would need to be amputated. Lixue was not yet able to perform such miracles. A more experienced doctor, as her mother was, would be able to with some difficulty. Any surgery was prone to complications arising. Lixue was slightly afraid to try, in fear of having something go wrong and risking having the person end up like her; with a limp. Glancing up at the enraged Vantha, Lixue calmly told him, "Keep an eye on this. A sign of infection should be it becoming pussy, or soggy. A red line may appear. If this happens, seek medical attention quickly. Do not, I repeat, do not wait. You will need to visit a doctor tomorrow, around this same time, if not earlier. Be careful with your leg. Activities such as running, jumping, stretching, are not to be completed. They may tear the stitches and make the injury worse. Your leg may be numb right now, but this will wear off in nearly a bell. You will be in pain. I am certain there is someone here who knows herbalism. Seek them out for a painkiller. Goodbye, Jaynel." Lixue would not miss the man who had attacked her and, in retaliation, she had been forced to stab his thigh with a needle. Not a pleasant experience, nor one to be repeated soon. Glancing up at the stranger who had jumped in to help, Lixue gave him an appreciated nod. "Thank you, again. Without your assistance, this could not been completed, if at all. I must go now, to provide what aid I can. I do hope to see you around." Without waiting for the man to respond, Lixue limped away.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Lixue XP Award: Medicine +4; Intimidation +2; Leadership +1 Banir XP Award: Bodybuilding +2; Unarmed Combat +1; Wrestling +2 Additional Notes: Banir, the punching was unarmed, but the grappling earned you wrestling. Cheers, folks. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!