Closed Infirmary Action

[Eshe]

Winter, 50th Day, 514 AV The Infirmary The awakening of the first obelisk had been hard enough to deal with. Eshe wasn’t even sure she was completely aware of what happened that night, but for the first time since her mother had left she had considered that maybe she should have gone with her. The city was in complete chaos and really Eshe felt completely backwards. Between hunger and panic, the city she grew up in was a complete mess. That seemed almost like nothing however when the second obelisk awoke. She couldn’t believe just how many people had died and there didn’t seem much to do to actually help save the city. Despite the terror she could feel deep down, Eshe really wanted nothing more than to help—though she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be much use anywhere. Eshe jumped at the chance when days later the Infirmary called out to the city for help. She didn’t have any real medicinal training, but given the circumstances she was sure there had to be something she could do to help. She wasn’t prepared for just how bad off the Infirmary was. People seemed to be constantly flowing in and Eshe was on a never ending run of errands—fetch this or that, sit with this person for comfort if nothing else. Every once in awhile she was asked to use her minimal skills in massage, but really she didn’t know enough to be of much use to anyone on a long term basis. The pressure however was beginning to get to her. It felt like it had been hours—probably had been actually—since she had fresh air. The people groaning in pain around her or yelling for help were normally drowned down to a quiet hum in her ears, but suddenly they seemed so very close. She had spent the last day or so pushing her boundaries of being around strangers and apparently she was reaching her limit. Her breathing felt tight in her chest and Eshe knew she wasn’t going to make it outside but she needed to get somewhere quiet, and fast. Patting the hand of the man she had been sitting with for the past bell or so, she quickly skittered around the nurses and doctors as best she could. Eshe hadn’t much time to really get into the swing of things, but she managed to not knock anyone over in her rush. The layout of the Infirmary was still mostly unknown to her, but she knew the perfect little hallway that lead to one of the storage rooms she was sent to every so often. People from the city still filtered down the hall, but it was quieter than others and she’d take what she could get. The moment she stepped around the corner into the hall she drew a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she came to a standstill. It wasn’t quiet at all like she'd thought, but the air didn’t seem as heavy and there were less people. Eshe groaned under her breath before she turned to closest wall and she pressed her back to it, letting the cold stone seep through her clothing to her skin. Slowly she let her knees give out from under her until she was sitting up against the wall. Pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and let her forehead rest on her knees as her eyes drifted shut. She only needed a minute or two.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Scampering around the small storage room, the lanky, emaciated man frantically looked and wondered to himself. It must have been a crime to forget what medicine or plant you were supposed to bring in the Infirmary, because he must have been searching, trying to remember for about 15 chimes now. Really, it was only five but it felt like forever. Here he was being a moron while someone out there was having what looked like a panic attack.

Jeez, he was a horrible person.

"Okay Gale." He muttered under his breath, suddenly halting in his frantic pacing. He firmly placed his hands on his sides, biting harshly on the inside of his cheek. "It was a plant... " Well that was specific. He couldn't remember the name, but she described it a bit. "Green with little round spikes coming off of it. That doesn't make any sense." What the petch is a round spike?

"No, that doesn't make any sense." A voice came from behind him. Gale turned around to see an elderly man shuffle his way in the small storage room with a wooden cane. "Maybe I can help." He offered, patting the widower on his shoulder. "Do you remember the name but any chance?" He questioned, making his way painfully slowly around the small working table in the middle of the room.

"Uh, it was like Something Bettle, or Kettle or something, but I don't remember." Gale ran his hand through his hair.

"Hm." After the man finally managed to move to the jars of plants on the shelves, Gale watched as the man thoroughly looked at each jar. He was wearing a faintly blue felt jacket. It was a nice jacket too. Gale rather liked it. But he quickly turned his attention back to what he was doing as he reached up for a jar. The label wasn't visible since it was backwards, but he twisted it, revealing the words "Stinging Nettle". "Ah, this is probably what you're looking for." He smiled, taking it off the shelf. He turned to the blonde man and held it out.

Gale nodded and carefully took the jar, almost as if afraid that both the jar and the older gentlemen would break if was was't cautious. "Thanks." Gale nodded, looking at the plant. So that's what she meant by round spikes. They weren't spikes at all, more like little bulbs protruding from the leave really, but oh well. At least he had it.

"No need to thank me." The elderly man went over and grabbed a jar of his own, however, before leaving the room. Gale watched the snail like man as he left before glancing at the missing jar space. He briefly glanced at it. Cayenne. That was a type of pepper wasn't it? Why would he need Cayenne? Gale didn't know Cayenne had a medical purpose other than to make people feel like they were on fire. Interesting.

But wait, he was supposed to get something else too. A berry she said. Began with an E.

Gale looked up at the rest of the jars, spotting a jar with a decent amount of berries in it. He took the jar, reading Barberry. No, that wasn't it. Gale set it back. He continued to look, but then thought better.

Turning around and quickly making his way out the door, he looked down the hall, the elderly man having vanished. How was that possible? The guy was like a slug. Wait- maybe the berry was an Elderberry? No, that's not a thing.

"Dammit." He muttered under his breath. He turned to look the other way, his eyes drawn to the girl curled up against the wall. What in the world is she doing? He raised an eyebrow. Is she a patient? "Are you okay, ma'am?" He questioned. He had no idea how long she had been sitting there, or if she was a nurse or a patient or just a simple helper, but no matter what she was specifically, she didn't really look okay. Then again, he was no expert.

[Eshe]

Breath in, breath out…

Eshe repeated the words in her head as she willed herself to relax. The last thing anyone around here needed was her falling into a panic attack out of the blue. Generally when she felt crowded out she would just leave before panic could even settle in, but this wasn’t a situation that she was fond of running from. So instead she was attempting to force her mind out of it.

And it wasn’t working as well as she would have liked. Even with the cooler air and less rushed hallway she could still hear people milling around. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but they all still seemed to be in her ears—crying in pain or loss. Lifting her hands from her knees she pressed them to her ears and began to rub them as if the action alone would make the sounds go away.

“Ugh stop it.” She grumbled under her breath. She didn’t have time for a panic attack.

Over all the other voices echoing in her head, another voice sounded out beside her. This one was different—not a ghost of a voice, but a real one. Dropping her hands down beside her, Eshe tilted her head towards the voice on instinct.

Her reddish gold eyes settled on a blonde man that looked to be staring at her. Blinking up at him, she quick glanced around the hallway to make sure he was actually speaking to her specifically. There appeared to be no one else stationary long enough for him to be speaking to, but Eshe couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow and pointed a finger at herself in silent question.

The man looked so… thin. Eshe knew she had lost quite a bit of weight already due to food shortage, but then she had no idea if he looked like this all the time or if she was just projecting the thought on him given nearly everyone was starting to look unhealthy. The infirmary atmosphere was starting to affect her thought process that was for sure.

It struck her however that she was actually being rude—she hadn’t answered the man’s question. Closing her eyes for a moment she shook her head vigorously before she clambered up to her feet and began to brush herself off.

“No no sorry, I was just uhm…” Her hands waved wildly off in the direction of one of the large rooms that was housing dozens of innocent injured. “You know the… whole disaster thing.” She could feel her nerves settle right beneath her skin and she drew a deep breath and pressed her lips together, shaking her head again before blowing the breath out loudly. He was probably having a hard time following her. “I’m fine.”

Mostly…

Her eyes drifted down to the jar of stinging nettles in his hand and she pointed to the jar before looking back up at the man. She recognized the plant for what it was, though she had no idea what it was used for herself.

”Looking for something?” She had been to this storage closet several times already, either in fetching or returning herbs. Eshe nearly smacked herself in the face however as her question registered with herself. Of course he was looking for something… or found it already. “Nevermind… stupid question.”

She approached him, glancing off behind him to the storage closet before sighing once again. ”Better question—is there anything I can help you with?”

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale simply watched the young woman as she appeared to be figuring something out. She did all sorts of things such as staring blankly and pointing to herself and all sorts of other things before actually standing up. It was either she was just as confused, if not more so, than he was or she was freaking out. But why would she be freaking out? He was that strange was he?

Gale's hands shifted and moved the jar subconsciously. Yeah he looked kinda funny, missing fingers and having a strange limp, but he wasn't intimidating or anything, was he? Well, maybe to kids, but kids were scared of everything.

Gale returned his focus back to the woman as she apologized. Wait- what was she apologizing for? He must have missed something. Sweet Ssena Gale, pay attention for once. The murderer shook his head, opening his mouth to tell her there was no need to apologize, but she started before he did. He snapped his mouth shut.

Yeah, the explosion and Obelisks awakening were all terrible. It was horrible all the casualties and losses. It was even more horrendous that they were all happening right after the other. Gale was fairly lucky to not be in someone else's shoes, but it was awfully terrible how little he could actually do. He couldn't even remember what plant he was supposed to bring for Ssena's sake. Gale looked down at the jar in his hand, reading it's name again. Stinging Nettle. Remember that. Stinging Nettle. His eyes drifted to his scarred hand and the shimmering vortex.

Maybe he could be of more use than just gathering plants. He'll have to ask Claira.

But she was fine. She confirmed that. That's good, at least she wasn't in need of any help. That would be bad. "Alright." He nodded, looking back up at her, naturally looking at her eyes.

The man blinked aimlessly himself as he noticed their colour. That wasn't a usual eye colour, nor eye shape. His mind naturally flipped through all the strange people he's met over the years, trying to note their eye colour. Vantha have odd eye colours, but not so much of shape. He flipped through some more.

Kendhl had an odd eye shape. Kelvics had odd eye colours sometimes.

Augh, she was a Kelvic!

Gale blinked his skeptical stare away as she asked him if he needed assistance. He glanced back at the jar, and then at the floor, then at the wall, and then finally back at the woman. "I actually do. I'm trying to find a particular berry but I can't seem to recall what it's called."

OOCI assumed that Eshe's eye shape/pupils were a little different than a normal person's, seeing as birds have very different pupils than a human's, but if I was wrong in assuming that just say so and I'll change it.

[Eshe]

Eshe cocked her head to one side as the man stared at her for a moment. It was an odd moment at that, one she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It almost seemed as if his gaze shifted, but it didn’t last long enough for her to make out just what kind of shift it might have been. He was almost hesitant however at her question. It didn’t seem like it was a difficult question—to her—but he was trying to look everywhere but her until he couldn’t anymore.

“A berry?” There were lots of different kinds of berries, but she wasn’t sure any of them would have any kind of medicinal purposes. Of course she didn’t know anything about the nettle either, so instead she pursed her lips slightly as she glanced at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the storage room. “I’m not sure the berries are stored in this room specifically.”

Tapping her fingers along her legs, she tried to remember which of the storage rooms she had visited since her arrival that might house the berries. Was it two… or maybe three doors down? Huffing to herself she turned on her heel and started down the hall, glancing over her shoulder once to motion with one finger for him to follow her. Eshe picked her way down the hall several doors until she stopped and pulled one of the doors open.

“Ah there we go. So what kind of berry was it? Did they give you a name or color… anything?” Reaching up she pulled one of her curls off her shoulder and began to wrap it around her index finger of her left hand as she turned back to face him. As she took another close look at him, she realized that one of his hands was actually missing fingers and had one of the most interesting markings across the back of his hand.

“What’s that?” Her head tilted off to the side as she stared at his hand before she realized she probably shouldn’t just stare at him. Lifting her eyes back to his face she winced slightly. “If you don’t mind me asking that is.”

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Common Vani Nari

Not in this storage room? He could have swore she said that they would both be in this one. But he better not rely on his memory too much, considering he couldn't even remember a simple name or two. He glanced inside the doorway, quickly eyeing the content. There were a few berries in this one. But if she thought it was in another then it was probably best to look in another.

Looking back at her, the widower asked,"Which room do you think it would be then?" He had to admit, he had been in this Infirmary countless of times. He had been in here beside countless of people and in here for his own injuries. But never once has he ever been in any of the storage rooms or prep rooms. Just in the room full of curtains that divided each of the patients. It was kinda odd now being behind the scenes instead of in them.

He never got a reply, really. The stranger simply turned and started walking down the hall. Gale wasn't sure if this meant she knew where it was or if she was just guessing, but he limped after her nevertheless. He glanced in several rooms. seeing similar jars and prepping tables and boiling water. The man couldn't help but wonder if they healers actually had to use all of this stuff. They probably did but he had no clue what for.

The finally came to a room with several dozen jars of berries. Some he couldn't even tell the difference between really. "She did." He nodded. "I don't remember the name specifically. It began with an E and she said it was blue." His eyebrows furrowed in thought, going over to jars and scrutinizing each and every blueish black berry he laid his eyes on. "Said it would help treat the swelling."

He continued to read the labels one by one, her questions almost flying over his head completely. It took several long ticks before it registered in his mind that he actually should reply. "Which one?" He replied, only half thinking about it. But once he did think about it more thoroughly, he realized she probably meant the gnosis. She wasn't dumb enough, he hoped, to not know what a scar or missing limbs was. She had to be talking about the vortex. "Uh, it was a gift. From a friend." He was hesitant to correct himself, seeing as his views on the Goddess had changed. But for girl's sake, that's what he would call her.

As Gale looked at each jar, still not completely done searching, he decided to ask about the Elderberries. It couldn't hurt, he supposed, but he was somehow doubtful that that was an actual thing. He's never heard of it if it is, and he really would be surprised if it was. He had a tendency to imagine names up. "Are Elderberries a thing? "

[Eshe]

“Blue… at least half the jars in here have to be blue.” Eshe grumbled. She couldn’t think of a name of a berry that began with an ‘e’ and blue just seemed so vague. Not that she could blame the man, most of the time orders were given out in the simplest form to ensure lack of confusion, but sometimes it didn’t work out that well. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she approached the shelves as her eyes began scanning jars as quickly as she could.

Eshe couldn’t help but let out a small hum however when the man mentioned his marking on his hand was a gift. It certainly seemed very special seeing as she had never seen anything like it before. But the subject almost seemed uncomfortable to him so she thought it would be better off not to pry. Her curiosity tended to get the better of her and she often found her mouth working before her brain could catch up.

“Elderberries?” Her brow furrowed slightly. It actually sounded familiar, but the actual use of such a berry was beyond her. “Actually yes. I do think there is such a thing.” Eshe tried to sort out in her mind the berries she actually knew. Most of them she didn’t always know by name, but she could recognize easily by shape and color. Though she knew in all honesty that berries weren't her thing to begin with. Give her any sort of insect, petch even a snake and she could probably identify it. She was just terrible with plants.

It was several chimes later into the search that she found the courage to ask him another question. This one she hoped wasn’t nearly as prodding as her last. “Are you alright?” She tilted her head to the side to see him before continuing in what she hoped was a more gentle tone. Eshe knew she wasn’t exactly great with social interactions though, so she pointed towards his legs before continuing. “I noticed you have a limp. Were—are you injured?”

In hopes of not making the man any more uncomfortable that she possibly had already, she refused to stare. Instead she returned her gaze to the jars before her. “It was kind of rude I suppose. You asked on my wellbeing…” She shrugged awkwardly before glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Common Vani Nari

Gale was no expert on plants. He ate a lot of plants, almost as much as he did fish, but his identification of plants was minimal. Lettuce versus Spinach. Blueberry versus Raspberry. That's pretty much it. Just basics. He never really bothered himself to learn anything other than the basics so he could differentiate things at the General Store and at the market. And with his basic knowledge that he knew that there were a lot of blue and black berries. Blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, there were several. But as he looked at the imposing wall of unsquished jam, he realize that there had to be at least a dozen berries with almost the exact same description.

"How does everyone tell the different between these things?" He audibly asked himself. "It's like trying to memorize everything in the Library with the amount of plants they have to know." They probably not only had to know what each berry was, they had to know the difference between all the leaves and herbs and everything too. It was ridiculous to think about. These people had to pack all sorts of names and shapes into their brain yet here he was not even able to remember a single one.

"You're kidding." Gale finally looked at her as she answered his acquisition. He totally thought he made that up. "That must be what we're looking for then because I've never heard of an Elderberry until today and if I did then I don't remember." He really should work on that though. His memory that is.

The man then started to search through the blue jars, reading each label in pursuit of this mysterious Elderberry. There were two rows of jars on each shelf, and he hoped that the second row wasn't completely different than the first. Hopefully it was just the same jar behind the first. To test he theory, he removed one of the front jars and read the back jar's label.

Yep. Same jar. Thank Priskil.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?" He looked at her, his confusion blatant in his expression. Was he alright? What was she talking about? Did he not seem alright? Gale briefly glanced at his wrist, finding his colour to be normal. She wasn't referring to how thin he was, was she? That's really the last thing he needed right now. Someone to tell him to eat more.

Her pointing baffled him even more for a tick before his eyes actually followed her outstretched finger to his right thigh. Oooooh. That made way more sense. It was somewhat strange to Gale to have someone point out his limp. He was used to his hand and gnosis being asked about, seeing as that is what people typically only see when conversing with him. He didn't often times have to walk around a lot in a conversation with a stranger, so no one really noticed, and those who noticed didn't really ask about the limp. So it was a little surprising to him. But then again, considering the Infirmary is deal with people dying and limping around and with all sorts of injuries, it really shouldn't be a surprise she asked.

"Oh, no, I'm fine." He looked back up with her with his best assuring smile he could manage. "It's old." Depending on your definition of old, that is. It didn't feel old, but it probably was. The whole day didn't seem that old. Gale looked back at the jars, trying to search and talk at the same time. To save the trouble of her asking, since everyone always did (it was a temptation he figured no one could avoid), he paraphrased,"My..." His tongue refused to say it. She didn't need to know his relationship with Kendhl besides that she was a friend. A very deep, close friend. She was- well, is- no... She was way more than that. He didn't know her for very long before the incident but she was his bondmate. He didn't know how to describe it besides that. But all she needed to know that she was a friend. "A friend and I were out in the Pass one day and we were attacked by dogs." He was still hesitant to say friend and when he was done with the sentence he let out a sigh. "One got my hand another got my leg." For some reason he did think she should know that,"It was a Kelvic..."

He was only pretending to look by this point, a look of contempt on his face as his lips briefly curled inside his mouth. "So I apologize if I'm a little hesitant and all," referring to her being a Kelvic, if she indeed was one,"But I'm fine." He glanced up at the shelves again, and by some happenstance, he looked straight at a label saying Elderberries.

He reached up and grabbed it, looking at the blue and black berries. He shook the jar, as if the jingle the berries as he looked at her, but it wasn't long before one of the healers came in, furious at his lack of promptness. "What the heck is taking you so long? What are you doing, chit chatting with every girl you see?!" The young, but obviously tired student took both the jars from Gale's hands, and without another word, she almost sprinted out of the room.

[Eshe]

“Usually it’s the plants they grow on.” Eshe piped up at his question, though she wasn’t entirely sure if he was directing the question at her or if he was just thinking out loud. Either way it didn’t stop her from continuing. “Berries are easier to identify by the bushes they grow on. What the leaves look like, the color of the branch or stems, even how the bush itself grows or where. Its little things, but this is harder. Unless the berry itself is unique looking we might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack.” She reached up to tap a random jar. “I don’t know the names so well though myself and without any bush to identify I have no idea what I’m really looking at.”

Eshe couldn’t help but grin a little at his surprise over an elderberry. She shrugged slightly in response as her eyes continued to scan jars almost helplessly. Nothing really looked too familiar to her. “Well, the name sounds right anyway. I think they might grow wild here, but I don’t usually forage for berries too often. They aren’t really a thing for me.” Eshe figured it was better off not to mention that bugs were more her thing. Her mother had told her once that it really wasn’t that enjoyable to hear about—not exactly appetizing apparently.

Though she couldn’t quite decide which was more fun to tease her mother over, bugs or snakes.

Eshe could feel an eyebrow arch when the man told her that his limp was an old wound. He hesitated over his words and Eshe almost insisted that he didn’t have to tell her how if he didn’t want to, but he beat her to it. She had never faced a pack of dogs herself before, but at the mention of a Kelvic she swallowed heavily and immediately turned her gaze back to the jars. She wasn’t sure why the fact it was a Kelvic bothered her seeing as the only other Kelvic she knew of had been her father, and he hadn’t been a canine in the first place. But the fact was unsettling none the less. Maybe it was the look on his face.

“I’d say that would earn you the right to be hesitant.” Eshe mumbled more to herself than him. But even as the words left her mouth, he snagged a jar off the shelf. It seemed he found what he was looking for. “I wonder how they sort these things… or if they just got all scrambled up because everyone is in a rush right now.” Eshe couldn’t help but snort. “I wouldn’t want to be the one that has to put these rooms back in order.”

Almost as if on cue a student appeared in the doorway of the storage room, scolding the man before storming off with both jars in hand. Heaving a sigh to herself she shook her head. Her so called break was probably up, and it probably wouldn’t be long before someone came looking for her as well. Pulling her hands behind her back, she turned to give him a weak smile. “Why do I get the feeling it’ll be me rearranging jars.”

As Eshe began to leave the room, she halted in the doorway before turning to face the man once again. “If you want I might be able to help with that limp. That is if it causes you discomfort or… if it aches. Whatever…” Her hands were waving wildly again, another sure sign to herself that she was nervous. Other than helping at the Infirmary, she kept to herself save for her job. Offering help was... different. She wasn't sure yet if she liked this kind of different.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Common Vani Nari

When it came to flowers, Gale knew it was a lot either to identify the flower itself rather than by it's bush. He drew all sorts of flowers while he was an artist so he grew accustomed to remembering each flower's name and the information about it by just that part of the plant. But it seemed the method she was explaining was the exact opposite. Instead of knowing the plant based off it's flowers or fruit, you identified it by it's leaves and branches and such. "That must be awfully confusing." He muttered. When it came down to things, most plants generally looked the same to Gale, besides some obvious differences. There must be a lot more to leaves and bark and twigs than he realized if one could identify a plant, out of all other plants, souly based on that aspect of them.

He should make a mental note of that. That and that Elderberries were an actual berry.

Gale didn't reply to her statement about his short story, he didn't even shrug, but he did look at her and then at the jars as she audible wondered how these things remained sorted. "I suppose it's just another medical mystery I'll never figure out." He shrugged. He had to agree about organizing the jars though. Gale wasn't a fan of organizing things even though he could use some in his life, so it would really suck if he ended up having to do it.

But by that time the student had already come and gone, and it seemed like in a moment the stranger was out of the door, going off to her job. If she had one that is. Gale perked an eyebrow. What did she mean by help him with his limp? Was she a medic or a healer? Gale didn't think scars and limps could heal. Well, he knew some people were outrageously good healer, some being able to heal virtually anything, or so he's heard. He hasn't actually met anyone like that. But if she didn't mean healing wise then what did she mean? He pondered this for a tick or two, looking at the ground as his teeth gnawed on his cheek. It wasn't too important he supposed.

Gale let out a huff, running a hand through his hair before making his way out himself. Since the student took the second half of his job, he supposed he should find another student that needed help. As he came out the door, he saw only a few people walking by, but only one slowed their pace to ask,"Are you busy?" Gale promptly replied no. He then was gestured to follow the medic, the stranger explaining what he was needed to do before they both vanished around the corner at the end of the hall.