Completed Medicine for the Dead (Sain Kayun)

[Tsaba]

Tsaba waved her free hand dismissively at Sain's admission that he was an assistant. "I'm a professional assistant," she joked, trying to ignore the pain of the little needle stabbing through her flesh. "I've always been an assistant, at everything... medicine, lab work, scribing... you seem to know what you're doing and that's really all that matters." It would be kind of difficult for him to screw up sewing a wound, she figured. "I came here to..." she paused, considering how to answer that question without ten minutes of backstory... "I came to learn. I'm from Sahova, see, and society there is quite... insular. I was worried that the lack of information about the modern world might be shielding us from certain opportunities; not just social, but research opportunities. Entire new races have sprung up out here since the creation of Sahova and the only real cultural flow we get is the occasional research assistant showing up; nobody is looking into what we can actually learn from human agriculture, or Zith morphology. I want to learn about everything out here, on the mainland, and write books about it for the Sahovan library. Some might say it's not as productive as translating pre-Valterrian tomes but..." Tsaba realised she was ranting, and slowed down. "As I pointed out the second time my application was rejected, there are hundreds of Nuits who can and will translate tomes. It's hardly a cost to send somebody out on the off-chance they'll find something interesting." Of course, 'sending somebody out' had really translated to 'just let the child leave on her wild goose chase so we can get back to work', but the results were the same. "I mean, even Sunberth has probably changed a lot since I was a child. Human society, most mortal societies, progress very quickly. Data not gathered now is data lost forever."

"How about you? Did you grow up here?" Tsaba flexed her hand experimentally. The last joint in her little finger didn't respond. Pity. The big risk now was the weak flesh around the stitches simply traring, but there was very little that she could do about that. Tsaba opened her carry bottle of embalming fluid and, holding her hand over her cloak to mop up the excess, dribbled a tiny bit over the wound. She'd have to salt it later, and probably wrap it up. Being dead could be so inconvenient sometimes. "There has got to be some kind of... of Nuit specialist around here," she muttered. "I know we're a minority in this town, but there must be somebody capitalising on our presence." If not... she made a mental note to look into changing that.

[Sain Kayun]

Sain listened with keen interest to Tsaba as she talked about Sahova and her purpose in coming to Zeltiva, all the while focusing on sewing the finger back on, a few droplets of ichor splattered on his hand, nodding occasionally to the Nuit. It was interesting to hear of how another race thinks, and the Nuit's goal in finding out more of the world outside of her home city impressed Sain. He was At the mention of Sunberth, he looked up at the Nuit with some surprise. He was not expecting this from the Nuit, as he assumed she lived her whole life... er... unlife in Sahova. "You lived in Sunberth as a child? Could you turn your hand over please?" Sain unwittingly blurted out. The man's voice had the slightest hint of an unclear suppressed emotion; Sain had never dwelt well with Sunberth ever since his father... passed away in that city. He tried to change the course of the conversation from Sunberth, as he felt the burdening weight of melancholy rising. "I think you're absolutely right though, even if I am not much of the scholar type." Sain smiled, but the smile was off and troubled. Sain immediately turned back to reattaching the finger, trying to focus more on something more useful than depressing sentimental feelings for his father. When Tsaba asked about Sain's own history, he replied with a very trimmed version, trying not to call back certain memories, "I have lived in Zeltiva for my whole life. I know little of any other places aside from what I read. Though I do wish to travel through Mizahar one day, but not right now." After saying this briefly with an uncharacteristically flat voice, Sain turned once more to the reattaching; focus on reattaching a finger, not father's death, he thought to himself. Several chimes later, Sain pulled the needle through Tsaba's hand one last time, finishing the stitches. Tying and cutting off the thread with a knife, there was no other cutting tool in his cottage, Sain set down the needle on the table, sitting back in his chair and wiping his hands of any ichor on them. "There, all done and reattached! That should stop the leakage!" Sain smiled encouragingly at Tsaba, at the same time watching with curiosity at the Nuit pouring a liquid which by the smell he could guess was Nuit embalming fluid on her reattached finger. " I don't know if there is anyone who does cater to Nuits Tsaba, but I think there might be. You just need to find the right people."

[Tsaba]

"I grew up in Sunberth. I was a doctor's apprent... well, foster child. I wasn't a very good apprentice." She chuckled to herself. "That was, you know, back before the Daek-Nuit. So you're 100% Zeltivan, then... I really must request an interview from you sometime. I just got here and I'm not yet familiar with how the city works." And he was a dab hand with a needle. When he didn't expand on his past, she didn't press; he'd probably just lived a quiet, boring life.

"How would I find a Nuit specialist?" she asked, more to herself than him. She could try frequenting places that Nuits needed... embalmers, or whoever handled the dead on the mainland; that would be a good place to start... she gave Sain a smile. "Again, thanks for your help." She stood, straightening her cloak and inspecting the point she'd been using to stem the flow of ichor.. it would scrub out. Probably.

[Sain Kayun]

"Ah, I see..." Sain quietly nodded; so the Nuit were made by this "Daek-Nuit", he would have inquired more about it, but he felt it was a very long and complicated matter. It also meant, Sain realized, that the Nuit were at one time regular mortals. Was this the closest we can get to immortality, the man wondered. But he could find out more about the Daek-Nuit at a later time. Sain sighed in relief on the inside when Tsaba didn't press any further on his past; best keep it that way. He also stood up as Tsaba prepared to leave, smiling kindly, "Why you're welcome Tsaba. If you have any other problems, or if you want to interview me, you can come by the university infirmary some time; I'll be glad to help!" The young man stepped ahead to open the door for the Nuit, "Look out for your other fingers now!" Sain joked one last time, holding the door open for her with his journal at his side.

[Tsaba]

Tsaba laughed. "I'll be careful! I can't afford to lose too many more!" As she headed out the door, her eyes automatically darted to the journal he held protectively at his side. It looked pretty battered. She supposed he must consult it often. Craun's journals had never gotten into that state; he always had her copy them first. It occurred to her that she might be able to pay him back after all.

"Say, have you ever considered making copies of your books? That way, the master copy doesn't get damaged through use."

[Sain Kayun]

Sain glanced inquisitively from his journal back up to Tsaba and down to the journal again. Thinking about it, the journal was in a rather rough shape, having been used for how many years by his father. Yet Sain had never before thought of making copies of the journal, and it sounded perfectly reasonable. But that meant he had to hand over the journal to the Nuit for some time. Even though he knew Tsaba was trustworthy as far as he knew, he still felt uneasy giving his father's journal to someone else; it was after all, a very personal and important possession of Sain's, the only reminder left of his father. Sadly smiling, Sain dusted off the old journal. "I haven't, but that does sound like a good idea..." Sain sighed sadly, memories about the day his father gave him that journal the day he left for Sunberth, never to return, coming to mind. He gently patted the journal caringly, "This was one of my father's journal, detailing many different medicinal herbs and diseases he encountered in his lifetime. I'll let you copy it, but please be very careful with it. Its... its the only thing left to... to remind me of my father after he passed away." Smiling sadly, Sain carefully passed the journal over to Tsaba as if it were a small infant. For the first time in almost a year, Marus Kayun's journal left the hands of his son.

[Tsaba]

Tsaba didn't take the journal at first; out of long-ingrained habit, she instead pulled a fine grey woolen glove over her left hand and then took it gently from him, letting it fall open in her palm. It did look rather battered. If it was an heirloom, that made it all the more precious. She flicked through the book, careful only to touch it with her gloved left hand (she didn't want to get embalming fluid on it). The words were in Common, and there weren't too many complicated diagrams. The various side notes and arrows weren't a problem. "If you can supply the materials, I can replicate the information in this," she said. "It may take time but the task itself is simple." She closed the book and handed it back. "If it is precious and you use it a lot, I can come to you to work, either here or at the infirmary. That way you don't need to lose sight of it. It would take longer, but assuming that time is not a factor..." She pulled off her glove and put it away once more. She was looking forward to the project, both as a chance to pay Sain back and a chance to possibly learn something from the book. Not that copying Craun's notes had ever taught her much. "I spent a lot of my child copying medical notes and books, you know."

[Sain Kayun]

Taking the journal back and holding it to his side, Sain nodded with a small smile to the Nuit, "That sounds good to me, I'll get you a blank book tomorrow. As for time, I don't think that will matter in this case. You can come by here again or the infirmary..." Sain trailed off when it suddenly came to mind: he had to get to the infirmary. He was already almost half a bell late for work if he guessed correctly. "Oh no..." Sain quietly groaned, his smile disappearing in a frown of worried urgency, "I'm late!" Quickly grabbing his coat and slinging it over his left arm, his journal held tightly in his right arm, Sain gave Tsaba one last smile, "Sorry Tsaba, but I'm afraid I have to go to the infirmary now! Before Mistress Claira over at the infirmary gives me a scolding!" The young man politely waited for the Tsaba to leave the cottage before exiting himself, frantically locking the door and sprinting off at full speed down the path to the university, turning around to wave good-bye one last time at Tsaba. "Bye!"

[Paragon]

Tsaba

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Persuasion	1
Socialisation	2
Storytelling	2
Philosophy	1
Rhetoric	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Seeking a Doctor
•	Offering to Copy Over a Text
•	Learning from a Zeltivan
•	High Pain Threshold
•	Having One's Finger Reattached

Sain Kayun

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	1
Medicine	3
Sewing	2
Investigation	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Positive Perceptions of Nuits
•	Reattaching a Finger
•	Nuits: Lack of Internal Organs
•	Tsaba's Story

Legend Becomes Reality

Very nice thread If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can work from there.