Wandering Around [Oscar/Shausha]

[Sosicly Magnolia]

67th of Spring, 513AV Fingers trailing along the walls she stepped lightly and quietly through the halls, the only real sound was the adjusting of her knapsack. The eerie echo of long past wails, the lack of staff, and the way each door was shut left a strange picture. The Symenestra woman went no further wondering if at one time their own women had filled the rooms with almost pitiable cries. Sosicly had not intended to end up near the surrogates’ wing but morbid curiosity made her wonder at times if she would be better off giving birth herself, rather than a surrogate. She felt no pain for them nor pity, survival of the fittest and all that but sometimes she didn’t think she would live that long either way. There was no real telling of what was wrong with her, no words of comfort that one day she would be fixed, and even when the season had gone off with only minor hitches it was disheartening. Medicine could not cure all much as it would chagrin a certain Hellebore head medic. If Sosicly were entirely honest she would just admit that she was interested in the human healer she had heard about. Other races were rare enough from the harvest, and to have one come willingly or so and choose to stay was an oddity. Kalinor’s city and people were not exactly made for any but their own kind and most enjoyed it that way. She wondered if he knew, actually knew what went on behind the doors, how each one would slowly empty the bodies long since gone to places none dared follow. For many chimes Sosicly was content to stare down the hall, her own self-pity now gone, and the dull ache of wishing that the rooms were full. That children would scatter around the birthing center, and families would slowly fill the empty part of the city and her people. Viratas the whole thing was just depressing, wasn’t it? Shaking her head as if the thoughts would fly, and only gaining a stumble for her troubles Sosicly carried on, not checking the rooms but skipping past them. It shouldn’t be so hard to find the thing (person) she was searching for.

[Oscar]

Oscar had discovered in his limited time in Kalinor that there existed two kinds of surrogates, those that were passive and those that were not. The passive ones were those that had accepted their fate no matter how terrible that prospect was, the volatile ones were those who fought their captors at every possible opportunity. His job as a healer mostly came into play when it came to the later category, of which there was one case today. The room was rather small and clinically clean, his patient lay restrained to her bed in a daze from the sedative mixture that had been forced down her throat a while ago by another medic. Her belly was steadily growing with child, Oscar estimated that she had another two weeks before she gave birth. Her body was marked with bruises and a few minor cuts, self inflicted from what he understood. The healer felt great pity for the woman, she had obviously not asked for this burden to be placed upon her. It pained him to greatly to see such things on a regular basis in the city of the Symenestra, the imprisonment of women against their will to serve as breeding stock. It was an unfortunate way of Kalinor's culture, the use of surrogates, disgusting even. He didn't fully understand the reason behind it, maybe he would be better off not knowing. He healed and stitched up and soothed as best he could the injuries he saw. At the moment it was all he could do. The compulsion was always there, the desire, no, the need to heal. It was a tingling in the back of his right hand, the command of Rak'keli to heal the woman as best as he could. It was an urge he was all to happy to oblige. The healer set about examining the woman's bare form with the eye of a seasoned medic, taking note of scrapes, bruises, and cuts. The cuts would be easy enough to take care of, they were tiny wounds and relatively easy to close. The scrapes would also be rather simple, however some of the bruising was rather severe. Those he might be able to soothe, maybe speed up the healing process but they were beyond his current abilities for the moment. Oscar sighed and placed his right hand on a small scrape on the woman's arm, the swirling, shimmering opal mark on the back of his right hand glowing slightly as he concentrated. His left hand gripped the golden winged serpent symbol around his neck, it was not necessary but it helped in his concentration. The soothing divine power of Rak'keli flowed out from his hand and started getting to work closing the wound. His faith in the goddess of healing was staunch and absolute, as was his confidence that he was a strong vessel for her power. One could not heal without faith and confidence, therefore the ability required a strength of spirit that not everyone possessed. The strength of Oscar's own faith and confidence was clear in the natural way he wielded the power of his goddess. Fleshed stitched back together, dangerous bacteria were cleansed from the cut, and soon enough the skin looked as if the scrape had never existed. Oscar repeated the process on a small cut on her torso, a scrape on her knee and ever other place where infection could possibly fester. Hellebore had been rather specific in his instruction to deal with possible infection as soon as it was spotted. While the older medic was certainly not fond of the healer, he was no fool. He obviously saw the use in a resource as potent as a true healer, one blessed by Rak'keli. If nothing else, Oscar was a useful tool for the old Symenestra. For his part, Oscar was quite alright with being used, if it meant using his Rak'keli given powers to soothe the pain of others. The healer quickly finished up dealing with the cuts and scrapes, feeling a little exhausted from the ordeal. Still, by the grace of Rak'keli, the threat of infection was dealt with. Now he needed to get started on the bruises. They would be a little more tricky, but the least he could do was to soothe this woman's suffering as much as possible. Oscar took a deep breath and moved his hand over a small bruise, pushing away his fatigue. He need to get this done, his own exhaustion could be addressed later, this woman needed his assistance.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

Sosicly was not necessarily surprised by the cool assessment of an approaching guard, no doubt wondering why she was wandering around in this particular area. It was not as if the surrogates got visitors or attention often, they were more like carefully kept cattle. One wouldn't want to interact with them too much, familiarity does breed contempt but she tried for a winning smile, and pulled out her writing utensils. Book, quill and ink vial all placed on the floor where she squatted down to write before he actually got to her. I'm here to see the human healer, do you know where they are? At first the male only stared at the book in confusion before he thought to reads the words, seeming to weigh his options before speaking. If he said no she could always come back, which he likely had figured out on his own. "He is busy in a room but I can tell him you are here." Sosicly realized it was a he at the same time the guard seemed to, which was strange, but his assessing look was back. No doubt judging her for her associations, she decided the man was an idiot and coughed dramatically into her hand. Spurred into action by the noise the man walked down and made a motion for her to wait there. Which either meant the guard thought she needed a healer and the human was a good healer or he just didn't want her wandering any longer than necessary. Waiting where she was she watched him enter the room without so much as a knock, and could vaguely make out the faint words, "You have a guest out front for when your done. She could only just recognize the words in Common, and made no moved to stop the guard when he reached her again and escorted her to the front, telling her to wait. Sosicly had nodded, trying to keep her face from showing the excitement that was growing. It was rare she interacted with anyone non-Symenestra since her only gleaning! Already she began to write again, forming questions for her soon-to-be guest.

[Oscar]

The bruising was as bad as Oscar had first feared, there were a few he knew that he could easily deal with but a number could only be soothed and lessened by his powers. This irritated the healer to some degree, however the sedative would likely keep her nice and numb for some time to come. Hopefully rest combined with his healing would take care of most of the pain. Oscar made a mental note to visit this particular surrogate sooner rather than later, he needed to do what little he could to help her mentally through this ordeal. At the very least it would hopefully prevent any future events like this one. When the guard entered the room the healer was a little surprised, interruption from the Symenestra guards was rare. Oscar turned to the male, his attention split between his work and the guards words. "You have a guest out front for when your done." The guard departed immediately after giving the message, giving Oscar no time to reply. A guest? As far as Oscar knew there was no one in Kalinor who possessed any interest in him, and he couldn't really call the other members of the medical staff friends. Who would want to see him? The healer shook off the distracting wonderings of his mind, he could worry about this after his work was done. The man returned to moving his right hand over the smaller bruises, healing them with relative ease. As he worked he started up a prayer to Rak'keli that he often employed for both focus and for those who were beyond his current ability to fully heal. "Rak'keli, great mother of healing and giver of life, grant this woman your mercy. Aid her through the hard times that lie ahead and speed the healing of her injuries, which your servant cannot fully repair. Grant her your love and compassion, ease her suffering in the ways that I cannot." Oscar lifted his hand from the woman's flesh and placed it on her forehead, brushing some of her brown hair from her face. "Rest well, may the mercy of Rak'keli alleviate your suffering and the light of Priskil grant you hope in the days to come." With that the healer stood, sighing as he strode out of the room. He closed the door behind him and started down the halls to the entrance. The man was a little exhausted by the whole process, but his exhaustion was a small price to pay for the health and well being of another. As he walked through the halls of the Place of Purging, his thoughts returned to his 'guest'. Try as he might, Oscar couldn't think of anyone he had interacted with enough that they would want to meet him. It was odd really, however he had to admit that he was at least a little intrigued by the prospect of interaction with a denizen of Kalinor. He was certainly disgusted by their breeding practices, however he knew that it was unwise to judge an individual based on the actions of the whole. Besides that Oscar was just not a hateful or spiteful individual, it just wasn't in his nature. So he would approach this person like any other, whether they were Symenestra or not, with a kind smile and an open mind. When he reached the relatively empty entrance he noticed a short young Symenestra female, who was scribbling something down in a book. Oscar didn't know the woman, but there was no one else at the entrance other than the guards so reason would say that she was his mystery guest. The healer approached her slowly, his expression serene and calm, and his cloak falling neatly about his body. His mark was displayed openly, after all there was no need to hide it. The mark was a part of who he was and a blessing from his goddess, hiding it seemed like an offense to Rak'keli. Considering that his guest was a Symenestra, it seemed only polite to address her in her native tongue. His command was limited, accented, and halting but it was mostly understandable. "Greetings miss, I was told that you wanted to see me. How can I help you?" he asked as politely as he was able.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

The steady scratch of paper was interrupted at the sudden arrival of the human. Her quill striking through her question prematurely in surprise, as she had been too absorbed in her writings. Red eyes trained on the man, he looked to be the average human though tall and with fairly long hair. Sosicly was a little surprised at his use of Symenos, he was obviously not an avid speaker of the language but it was not entirely terrible either. The young woman stared at him for a few more moments before laying the quill to rest and holding up the book for him to read. It was written in Common that was no better or worse than his own attempt. I am Sosicly, I came to...meet you. Have you seen city? Where are you from? How did you get here? Why are you here? The questions weren't exactly polite but boundaries were easier to cross when it was not her own people she was curious about. As she waited for him to read, her hand reached out to brush a nail along his tattoo there. Why get a tattoo on his hand? Rather than dwell she then pointed between the two of them and waved in the general direction of the exit, trying to communicate if he would like to leave with her.

[Oscar]

Oscar had expected a vocal response, words spoken aloud in a concise and ordered way that indicated normal speech. Needless to say the written response presented to him surprised the healer to no small degree. It was probably the first time such a thing had happened to him, in fact it was safe to say that it was the only time it had. Oscar briefly wondered if there was something wrong with her, before noticing her nail brushing against his mark. He pulled his hand back from her touch and considered her questions, noting her gestures and the meaning behind them. It was rather difficult to understand hand signals, definitely a first on his part but the meaning here was clear enough. The healer glanced back to the place of his work, his job today was done so there was nothing holding him here any longer. He felt the urge to return and check over things just in case but he pushed it down as he was rather curious as to this woman before him. Something was obviously wrong with her on a physical level, however he wasn't sure exactly what it was. He nodded and started walking to the exit, confident that she would fall in step behind him or at his side. As they walked he thought of how to answer her rather forward questions, though they were by far the least strange thing about the woman, this Sosicly. He decided that it would be best for him to continue to use Symenos, she would more easily understand his answers if they were in her native tongue. It might slow his responses down but it would make interaction easier since it seemed that she could write down common lettering, which was helpful considering his limited grasp on Symenos as a written language. "I am called Oscar, Sosicly. It is good to meet you. I have indeed seen your city, I have not had much time to explore it though. What I have seen is beautiful." The healer thought over the wording to his next response, Symenos was a difficult language to learn for those not born speaking it. It possessed many fluid articulations that could some times change the meaning of words if spoken incorrectly, though perhaps that was true of most languages. "I have travelled far from my home, a city known as Zeltiva. It lies near the ocean, many miles to the east. I travelled here by caravan and by sea, over many months. I have come to provide healing to those that require it, I follow the teachings of Rak'keli in my actions." Oscar answered as best as he was able, stopping right at the exit. He articulated his last point by lifting his right hand and pointing to his mark and then to the golden serpent symbol around his neck. Hopefully Sosicly would understand his attempts at communication, poor as they were. He gestured for her to take the lead from here. "Why have you sought me out, Sosicly? Do you require healing? Or are you merely curious as to the foreigner in Kalinor?" He asked, cocking his head slightly. It was odd that a Symenestra would seek him out, usually it was only done if they needed something he could provide. He was more than happy to provide information and healing to any, but it was rather curious that she wanted him to come with her outside of the Place of Purging. Odd even.

[Shausha]

68 Spring 513
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Shausha swooped lazily and silently through the air up in the high ceilings of Kalinor. Compared to the clamor and fervor of Xy, this place was a graveyard. Quiet people stepped quietly through the woven white hallways. She was about to fall out of the air and into the depths below from sheer boredom until she caught the scent of humans. Humans? Shausha had heard that they were kept somewhere in here for mating rituals or something. She cackled to herself. It was so funny to think that these delicate and quiet people were able to engage in the passion of mating. She was fairly certain that a Symnestrian male wouldn't last five minutes with her. Derisive laughter rose in her throat once more at the thought.

Shausha's laughter was cut short when her sharp hearing picked up the whispers of human voices, renewing her curiosity. Beating her wings rapidly, she set a direct course for the source of the humans. She paused when she got to a large woven stalactite structure. Silently, she circled around, trying to locate the humans within. When she found the lobe-like structure with the strongest human scent, she landed on the rounded top edge. Taking a sharp claw, she worked on scratching a peep hole in the hard webbed ceiling. When a miza-sized puncture was made, Shausha stuck her nose in it and sniffed, intrigued. Only women...wait...one male. Now peeking in with one dark eye, she saw one human was healing another. Shausha noted that the male's face divulged weakness. His features were soft and kind, not those of a warrior. Look at his soft skin and weak movements! What a helpless thing. She could not understand why an already weak race would not practice fighting for some kind of self defense. Weirdos. She knew nothing of healing and was absolutely mesmerized when the healer moved his hand away from a perfectly smooth patch of skin that, moments before, had been a festering cut. She sat up suddenly and righted her skimpy leather harness. She wanted to know magic too, now! To her disappointment, when she peeked back in, the male was readying himself to leave. Curiosity absolutely taking over at this point, she unfurled her wings and gently rose into the air. Following his shadow within the glowing structure, she glided silently to the entrance of the infirmary. Perching in the shadows above the entrance doors, she saw a Symnestrian woman waiting there.

Thoroughly confused, Shausha watched as the two carried on a bizarre half-written, half-poor Symnestrian conversation. Highly entertained that they could not see her even though she was mere feet away, she let loose a couple supersonic screams. They kept speaking. They were so oblivious! She couldn't stop laughing. She screamed a few more times. Any Zith would have lept on her for being so obnoxious. She was nearly rolling around in a fit of laughter when she slipped on the rounded roof. Accidentally sitting on the edge of her wing, she tried to regain her balance, but tumbled off the edge of of the building and into the darkness. A few recovery wing flaps later, she landed right next to the two strange people and kept her wings fully spread.

"Hi! So where are you going human? Is this your owner?" She pointed from the man to the woman several times. "I wont eat you. I promise. Too squishy." She made a face and pointed to her tongue in a gagging motion. "Look, I'm here to learn things, can you teach me magic?" She puts her hands on her bare hips. "And how are you fanged sister?" She grins exposing her own, sharp fangs.

Hover for OOC note.I'm REALLY sorry about how long this post is. I sort of got caught up in why I was at the infirmary and how I got there. Think of this as an introduction post -- my response posts will be much shorter, I promise!


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[Sosicly Magnolia]

For a moment she thought she had been ignored, righteous indigention that this azo would dare! In her own city at that, and she swiftly dropped her vial back into her knapsack then stalked after the man silently, startled when he began to speak. Listening to him Sosicly did not believe this Oscar-human, for a chime. Humans didn't like the dark, their eyes could not see and they were reliant on the...generosity of Symenestra to properly enjoy the city. He couldn't possibly actually like it. But he was trying, she could tell that much, she wondered how long this one would last, not being a female there was nothing keeping him here. Already more questions formed but hesitated from writing them, reaching out to tap Oscar's shoulder and signal to walk a bit slower now and in the future by making her two fingers with a quick walking motion then slow. She could feel a faint burn already, like from all her earlier wandering. For a few chimes after he spoke she only stared at him, his hand and then back at him in assessment once more while she formulated questions. She had many but more pressing was his healing, though her interpretation of his healing question was that he was better at it than her own people. Which was a strange notion but not unfounded in her eyes, after all, she was not cured yet was she? Finally she made to write the questions when a voice and wings interrupted her. The book slammed shut, and a wheezing gasp left Sosicly glaring at the furred woman, she looked like a giant bat and Sosicly couldn't quite remember what they were called. For a chime the Symenestra woman got a taste of her own medicine with the questions, trying to sort through the rapid fire speech. Fumbling fingers attempted to write out her thoughts on this abrupt entry and she non subtly stepped behind Oscar.

[Oscar]

It was not easy to unhinge Oscar, he spent most of his days around the sick, the wounded, and the mentally ill. That was not a life meant for one who possessed a weak stomach or one whose nerves were easily shaken. As such his shock was an indication that a Zith swooping down in Kalinor, to strike up a conversation was extremely unhinging. It was certainly enough to cause him to take a step back and for his shock to show on his face. He had heard the stories of course, when one traveled as much as he had it was difficult not to hear the tales of the monstrous winged terrors known as the Zith. Beasts that possessed the cunning and intelligence of a human, who hunted prey in the dead of night. Though the tales did not mention their powers of speech or communication. Oscar's nerves were slowly recovering, enough at least for him to possess the ability to coherently string together words to answer her quick questions. He also made a motion to move slightly in front of Sosicly, he might have just met her but he wasn't about to let her come to harm if he could help it. The Zith claimed to not have hostile intentions, however Oscar figured that it was wise to at least hold a healthy amount of skepticism at her claim. He might be an open and accepting individual, but there was nothing wrong with a little bit of caution in this situation. Still, considering that she had opted to talk first rather than swoop down attack them he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He managed to get an uneasy smile on his face, an accomplishment considering that his nerves were still jittering from the initial shock. He struggled to sort though her words, looking for the proper Symenos response to her words. Magic? Did she mean his healing? Oscar couldn't recall using his Shielding anywhere in plain sight so that was likely what she had meant. Was she unfamiliar with Rak'keli's gift? And owner? An odd assumption. "Greetings, Zith, I am called Oscar and I am taking a nice walk with this nice young woman. We have only just met, actually, so I doubt 'owner' would apply here." He answered, stumbling over his words more than usual. "The magic is not mine, Zith, it is the blessing of Rak'keli, goddess of healing. I am merely a vessel for that power, it cannot be taught, only granted by Rak'keli." Oscar continued, feeling a little more comfortable speaking the name of his goddess. He was certainly not going to mention his shielding, announcing that he was a wizard as well as a healer was certainly not a healthy idea. The Zith likely did not know about it anyway. His expression was calming bit by bit, though his mind was no less alert. Rak'keli dictated that her followers provide healing to all, regardless of race or morality, as such her followers had to possess something of an open mind. Still he managed a glance back to Sosicly, his expression more unsure and his eyes searching. What did she think of their unexpected guest?

[Shausha]

Spring 513
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Not missing a beat, she noticed the small movements the Symnestrian woman made to shield herself with the human. Not an unwise use for her human at all! She was equally pleased with the surprised expressions on their faces that her dramatic entrance created and quickly concluded that playing with them would be great fun.

The human stammered out an answer which she had lost interest in already. She waved a hand impatiently and began, "[Zithese squeaking] No, no, no, [Common] either you can or you can't teach me. What are you going on ab---" Shausha froze suddenly and slowly registered what he just said. Could it be possible this human was here on his own? Free? Motionless, she considered it, then decided it was the funniest thing she had heard all day.

Then, using her wings to propel herself forward, she quickly closed the distance between herself and the human named... Uskrr...Ahscur...Oskar? She was still learning to speak in the audible spectrum of sound. She giggled, inches from his face and whispered hotly, "you're funny." Shausha pushed herself up over Usker's shoulder to peek at the woman who was now fumbling with a book and quill.

"Fang-sister, why do you not want to speak with me?" she gave a theatrical frown and let go of Oscar, flapping her wing in his face as she skirted him.
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