Closed [Alements] Venom And Good Intentions (Caelum)

[Ssezzkero]

52nd of Winter, 514AV

A snake walks into a bar... Ker's mind wandered as her eyes floated across the entrance to the almost famous 'Alements'. "Sounds like the start to a bad joke." The Iyvess whispered under her breathe to herself, before quickly glancing around to make sure that she didn't look too odd. After the events of the last season, it was no longer a danger to simply be who she was. But paranoia did not leave easily. And... after the events of last season, the snake had plenty reason to be where she was. Sezkero hissed out a sigh, before stepping up the steps to the porch of the establishment. Thin fingers trailed the metal handle of the door for a second before she swung it open.

The inside was just as interesting as the outside, taking on a comforting but also interesting aura. Given that the sun had a few hours until it set, she was not surprised by the lack of people in the bar. Although it was a tavern, if Sezkero had heard correctly, it doubled as a healing facility. To the snake, it was an odd pairing of business, but also a brilliant one.

"Hello." The snake called out, gliding towards the bar, nodding towards the few customers that found there way to the Tavern that afternoon. Using the bottom bar of a stool to heighten herself, she found herself leaning on a beautiful vein of gold slithering through its murky pond of marble. Her attention was caught by a sheet of paper that lay out, inviting guests to read it. Wide brown eyes grazed the items on the menu, realizing the purpose of the pun-filled name.

"May I help you?" A voice interrupted her reading, replying to her greeting in Tukant. She looked up to see a young human, although small she was still taller than the Iyvess who leaned on the counter before her. She was friendly, but in a shallow way. It was a polite composure that those who worked with the general public knew very well.

"Common?" Her question was answered with a nod. And Sezkero placed the menu down. The tea sounded inviting, however she was there for a purpose, to meet Caelum. "Do you know Caelum? Or where he might be?"

The snake hadn't gotten much information to work off of, but she had hoped she was informed enough. From what she had heard, Alements was a healing Tavern, run by a man named Caelum. It was supposedly well known that this man knew what he was doing when it came to healing, which was exactly what the small Iyvess needed him for. It wasn't that she herself was in need of healing. She hardly ever injured herself in a way that would necessitate external help. The snake wanted to learn healing. For anyone who knew what she was, it was an odd contradiction. Born a snake, who's venom caused her victim to simply bleed profusely and not stop, it was odd to think she wanted to learn to help. It hardly matched with her personality, while she was a strong believer that violence was not necessary, at least not from her, she was also a strong believer in every one for themselves. It took a drastic change in her personality and her values to realize that she need to do more to give back to society, she had to.

"I will see if he is busy." The woman placed a finger on the menu before Sezkero before leaving. "Would you like something while you wait?" Sezkero looked down at the menu once more, but shook her head.

"May I asssk you a quessstion?" Sezkero asked the barmaid before she turned around. The snake was not usually nervous, however she was taking a risk, asking a total stranger to teach her what he knows. Sezkero was not a woman of material, and so she had little offer in ways of money. Whatever information she had scraped up from the market place and visitors of Makutsi's Tower, there was very little on the man himself. Most rumors marveled at his business ideas, his ties with the ever-popular 'Sanctuary', which Ker still knew nothing about, and his skill. The last thing the snake wanted was to be turned away for curiosity.

"Yes, what would you like?"

"Isss... Caelum... never mind." Ker almost asked how nice the owner of Alements was, feeling like a child first leaving the safety of her river in Taldera. For some reason, she decided not to. Lightning shot through her finger tips, and she brushed her hand through her short hair, keeping it up. She had gelled the mammal nuisance today, for both practicality and appearance, so her fingers were unable to run through the short waves of hair. Unable to find something else to keep her hands busy, Sezkero settled on gripping the high chair that she clung to in order to see over the bar. The barmaid simply nodded, before turning to go again, this time without interruption from Sezkero.

Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Caelum]

The owner and proprietor was slumped in a chair behind the infirmary desk, boots propped atop a stack of ledger books. Winter light spread through the cool, calm colors of the infirmary and the six beds he had emptied out that morning. There was a bit of debris from the past few days business littering the grey stone counter top. A tray of recently cleaned medicine vials waited to be put away and an entire sack full of fresh muslin bandage rolls and undyed, silk string was dropped carelessly on the end of one of the beds. Caelum was not feeling particularly industrious today. The season’s ledger book was propped on the curve of his knee and he squinted at the pages quite as though he was in pain. It physically hurt to fret over figures and numbers and math, he was so bad at it. This idea he'd had to balance his books midway through the season so that the same task at its ends wouldn’t be so bad was, clearly, terrible. “Completely petching terrible,” he grumbled and drew a line right through an entire row of incorrect sums. Pale brown flopped into his eyes, parting around the elegant sweep of backwards curving horns the rich, dense color of pine sentinels. They were trimmed in gold. Truthfully, all of him was. Daylight loved him and wasn’t in the least bit coy, subdued only by the plain cream and dark brown colors of Caelum’s tunic and trousers. “You make them more difficult than they need to be,” Elise remarked from the infirmary door, one hand smoothing a dark lock of hair behind her ear. “I make them nothing,” Caelum countered under his breath, eyes not lifting from the ledger book. “They were born this way.” The corners of her mouth twitched. “They’re numbers, Caelum. “And their mothers ought to be ashamed.” The former slave laughed, a low, soft sound. “Well, put it down and come out. You’ve got someone asking for you.” Finally, the ethaefal lifted his eyes. “Are they bleeding?” “No. But she’s pretty.” “I’m tired of pretty.” Caelum began a new row of numbers alongside the first. “Caelum.” Elise raised an eyebrow. “I’m coming. I’m coming.” The ledger book was slammed shut and he toppled his feet to the floor, unraveling in a creak of boots to pull a face at his employee and friend. He stalked out, right into Alements and unerringly for Sezkero at the bar, leaving Elise to chortle behind him. “Hey,” he greeted as he came close, a curious smile twisting his mouth. It didn’t very long to curiosity to climb right up into his eyes. “I’m Caelum. Can I help you?”

[Ssezzkero]

Inwardly, Sezkero couldn't help but groan. Why was everyone here so tall? What was up with that? Other than this man's height, which could have passed for a well fed human, he was no mortal. Sezkero had to briefly wonder if he was actually a God, or at least Alvina. The thought was silly, of course he was no deity, but his presence in the room was definitely noticeable like one. Maybe it was just her nerves. Glimmering green horns protruded from golden hair that consumed the entry point, leaving the snake to wonder if they connected to his skull and if they hurt. Golden eyes connected with her simple brown ones and he greeted her. The flash of white teeth contrasted his tanned skin, and it was not doubt that this man knew what work was.

Making sure she wasn't actually drooling over the strange creature that approached her. Sezkero returned the smile, bringing a hand up to her hair. She had slicked the nuisance back so she needed worry about it, but for some reason, she did. "Hi, I am Sssezzkero." She offered her name, struggling to shorten the soft sounds. How unused to this body she was, the snake couldn't help but draw out the soft sounds of this foreign language on this foreign tongue, even after decades of using it. No hand was offered for the man, but neither was the lack of the act unfriendly, at least she hoped it wasn't. Only partially conscious of the act. Sezkero found herself raising onto her toes again, but then returned to standing as normally as she could with her toes hooked on the bottom rung of the stool. Was it impolite to sit? The high chairs would raise her slightly So she didn't feel like such a child, but then again she was small everywhere.

"Caelum, it is nice to meet you."Brown eyes diverted from his for a second, but then Sezkero decided to return them. She shouldn't look away for a simple question, what was the worst that could happen anyway? He could say no, and then you will look like a fool and have no more leads. "I had heard about your... Tavern? Healing bar? Whatever it isss, it was clevvverly named. You are known for your medicccine sskillsss, and that isss what I came to inquire about." The words fell from her mouth, not too quickly, but fast enough for her to regrets half of them. Again, the snake struggled to push away the nerves that we're starting to shoot lightning bolts up her fingertips and persuaded her eyes off of his, even though she was trying to appear confident. Asking for help from a stranger was an area of uncertainty for the snake. "To put it simply, what would be the likelihood you would be willing to teach me a little bit of what you know?"

And suddenly her nerves seemed to evaporate. She wasn't worried about how she had dragged her actual question out longer than needed, nor did she fret too much of what would happen if he said no. Instead she watched his face with a little more intensity than she needed to. Watching for if his reaction may differ from his answer, or they would align well. Ker would not know, since she didn't know the man.

Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Caelum]

The young woman before Caelum was studied with blatant curiosity. An elbow slid onto the bar top in front of her, allowing him to sag comfortably down while she spoke. His smile lingered, faint but polite, as her anxiety left her fidgeting. He failed to react to it, patient as the day was long while she introduced herself and explained why she was here. “Please to meet you to,” he told her easily. “Where are you from? Your accent tells me it’s not from these parts.” A tilt of his head was made in invitation as he straightened, and he curved back around on a loose hipped amble to head back in the direction of the back corridor and the clinic at its end. “What sort of medicine are you interested in learning, Sezkero? Do you have plans to pursue healing as a profession and calling or are you more interested in basic field medicine and first aid? Is there a particular aspect that interests you the most? Surgery, trauma, child bearing, herbalism...” He trailed off upon entering the clinic. It was large by most standards, boasting a full six beds, an surgery table, and a sprawling counter and cabinet system for both the storage of materials and medicines as well as space for work. Everything was clean if, at the moment, his desk was a cluttered heap. There were no patients tucked into beds at the moment, but his ledger book was still abandoned at his desk, spared a narrow glance from golden eyes. “Ah, yes. If you are serious about learning, then I will teach you. Rak’keli can never have enough skilled laborers.” He referenced the goddess of healing, of course, whose favor he wore in shimmering gold coiling around the backs of both hands to ease up his wrists and forearms. Her rakanivas – winged snakes – were easily seen.

[Ssezzkero]

"Where are you from? Your accent tells me it’s not from these parts." Sezkero could only compare the man before her to one of her own kind. His movements were fluid, like that of a snake. Angling his body with ease and moving with grace around the spot that he stood. He reminded her of how her brother would look if he emerged from the water to observe what was happening on shore, as a snake of course. The simply thought of it started the itching feeling. She was comfortable as a human, she had to be, but sometimes she just wished she could be free. Break the restraints of limbs and the nuisance of hair, strip from the constrictive clothes and enjoy the cold caress of a river. Shifting her weight to another foot, Sezkero snapped out of her thoughts and answered the man. "I come from the north, The Sssspiressss."

Thankfully Caelum was already walking away, she didn't actually care to introduce herself completely to the man. The snake was not one to actively seek out strangers, but she had a specific purpose, one that she apparently needed to remind herself of. Being an extrovert did not come naturally to her, but at the moment, it was key. He nodded in the direction of his travel, which invited Sezkero to hop of the stool and follow him. The Iyvess weaved around the counter, feeling odd as she passed through the obviously less public section of the establishment. Although the door to the clinic had been open for Sezkero to follow Caelum through, there was an unspoken barrier, forcing her to walk slower and clasp her hands before her as she entered, as to not touch anything she wasn't supposed to.

"What sort of medicine are you interested in learning, Sezkero? Do you have plans to pursue healing as a profession and calling or are you more interested in basic field medicine and first aid? Is there a particular aspect that interests you the most? Surgery, trauma, child bearing, herbalism..." Wide brown eyes were too busy collecting the image of the room to look at Caelum, although the snake would have liked to see his face to pair his words with. The more aware of how this man reacted to her, the more she would know what exactly she would tell him. But this time, Sezkero made an effort not to wait too long to answer.

"I-- Ha!" Her own half-chuckle cut her sentence off as she realized how little she actually knew about what she wanted. I guess that is why I'm here. The snake mused to herself, glancing at the assortment of vials and tools and various other materials that Sezkero would be worked to find a category for. "I can't sssay I know much of medicccine... at all. I am not entirely sssure where I want to direct my effortsss, all I know isss that I want to... give back. To do sssomething of worth for othersss."

Sezkero let her hands emphasize her words, trying not to venture too close to anything in particular, for no reason at all. She looked up at the God-like man before her for less than a tick, her tongue dart out to wet her lips before her gaze ventured off again. His cluttered desk setting the snake on edge. Normally she couldn't have cared less for another's mess, but for some reason the lack-of-arrangement didn't help with her confidence."Herbalisssm." The Iyvess said suddenly, realizing she had paused too long again. The Iyvess crossed one arm over her torso to grasp the elbow of her opposing arm, giving the slightest nod at her own decision. "I'm rather fond of the more natural remediesss. But then again, I am poor with plantsss asss well. Wow, you are one big disappointment today. Sezkero wanted to roll her eyes at her pitiful conversation skills.

"Well, you sssee, I have a sssmall amount of exxxperienccce with natural venomsss. Very little exxxperienccce, but I guesssss, what I'm trying to sssay isss... Learning to help inssstead of hurt isss my intention. I wasss told you would be the bessst perssson to teach me thisss." Explaining herself was so obviously not her thing, but she hoped she was getting the point across. I'm actually a semi-venomous snake, and I'd like to learn how to protect people from myself. Sezkero struggled on how to get the words out without actually telling the man, and hoped he wouldn't ask too many questions.

"I don't want to impossse myself on you or anything," Sezkero had started talking with her hands again, and she made an effort to stuff them in the pockets of her dress again, reminding herself to blink a few times, as her eyes were getting dry. "But I thought you might help me."

Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Caelum]

Mention of the Spires splashed surprise over Caelum’s face. It left him blinking at his guest for a few ticks before something wry twisted his mouth toward a smile. He nodded and filed that little piece of information away. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone who’s even heard of the Spires, let alone been there. Not in a very long time,” he admitted. “I’ve been, but it was many years ago now. Have you come from there recently? ” It was an interesting mix of memory and desire that had him lingering on the topic of the jamoura’s land. He reached up to begin pulling objects from the shelves, placing them on the granite countertop in groupings. They were bottles of premixed medicine, herbs, bandages, and other assorted medical supplies, most of the more standard measure. He had quite a collected gathered over the course of years and more precious herbs than he knew what to do with thanks to his clever purchasing of both seeds and starter plants for cultivation. When Sezkero spoke of wanting to help rather than hurt, she stumbled upon the correct topic to finish convincing Caelum to her cause. The line of his mouth relaxed, softening his smile that up until that moment had not seemed hard. He lifted a hand and crooked his fingers to beckon her near, perceiving her hope that he would not pry thanks to the strange currents of unbound ranuri. Swallowing that, he drew a deep breath into his lungs. “You are not yet an imposition,” he assured her. Daylit eyes came to rest on her face. “I think that we ought to start with basic health maintenance and wound care. I have some time today, right now, to begin. Perhaps later you can verse me in what you do know of venoms. This is for two reasons. The first is so that I may learn of them, but the second is so that I might come up with a manner of treatment or antidote that could one day assist us both. How does that sound?”

[Ssezzkero]

"Not recccently..." She let the thought drift off. She didn't like being vague, it invite interest, which she liked even less. However, telling the truth, that she hadn't been their in nearly four decades, would invite even more interest, especially since she only looked to be approaching her early thirties.

Thankfully, her next words had caused Caelum to fall into a comfortable teaching position, and even though he spoke little of the actual art, she tried to remember every word that fell from the beautiful creature's mouth. He proposed a plan, and since she doubted she could decide anything better, the snake eagerly nodded her agreement. When he spoke of her venom, she was suddenly not so eager. Maybe this man thought that she knew more of venom than she actually did? She would be more than willing to tell her what she knew of herself, but poison, outside of her own, was not her area of expertise.

"I had quite a bit of exxperienccce with a ccertain ssnake asss a child, but I've never ssstudied them, so I cannot tell you much. But I promise to tell you what I do know," She tried to explain before being caught on one of his words. "You mean there are antidotessss for venom? As in anti-venom? I didn't know sssuch a thing wassss possssssible... How iss it possssssible? Ssnake venom attackssss the blood, it iss much more effective than poissson....?" She let the thought float off as well. Curious but also accepting that the answers may come in time. Caelum had a plan, he wanted to start with something... wound care? That was what he said. "Ssssorry to interrupt, I guesssss I should assk you another time, pleassse continue." Hopefully. She added, meeting the Ethaefal's golden eyes shyly before turning her gaze to the shelf behind him. Flitting from that to his desk, to the floor and back to his desk, as if she couldn't make up her mind where to look while she waited for Caelum to speak..

Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Caelum]

“Venoms effect the blood?” Caelum looked at his new student with an elevation of interest. It was clear that he knew nothing about venom and poisons and therefore it was little wonder he was so eager to learn. Nodding to himself, he reached for a roll of muslin bandages and juggled it absently back and forth between his hands. “I didn’t realize that. I’ve never heard of an antidote –or antivenom? – for such a thing,” he added regretfully. It occurred to him to pursue such a thing, however. He would first have to acquire a great deal of knowledge about poisons, both their crafting and their treatment as the two were likely inseparable. After all, the foundation of his understanding of martial arts and combat was his studies as a doctor and a healer. Familiarity with the body, with life itself, and how to maintain and protect it resulted in an understanding of how to hurt and destroy as well. Following this train of thought, Caelum deduced, “If venom cannot be countered directly, then it must be opposed with proper patient and wound care. Let’s start with the basic tools and fundamentals of health.” The roll of bandages was held up in display, a smile hooking sideways as he watched her eyes dart back and forth across the infirmary. He wondered if it was simple curiosity, or also nerves. She struck him as being somewhat shy, but she had both enough courage and motivation to approach a stranger in request for learning. “Muslin bandages,” he explained. “It’s a good, absorbent material. But you can ultimately use any sort of cloth, or even certain types of moss, for bandaging material when necessary. The most important factor is that they are clean. Cleanliness is the difference between life and death, perhaps most especially when it comes to wound care. Dirty wounds, unsterilized wounds, wounds treated with dirty tools, covered in dirty material, et cetera, are wounds that become infected and can cause the patient’s entire body to sicken.” The healer held up his hands to show Kero again the gnosis marks of Rak’keli that glimmered on the back of either, the winged snakes seeming ready to take flight. “These the marks of the goddess Rak’keli, dark sister of Avalis and goddess of healing. Any of her followers with a mark like this can sterilize – make clean – a wound, bandaging, anything, by touching it. When we’re available, definitely take advantage of this. But of course you’re not always going to have a divine healer on hand to assist you, so all your bandages need to just not appear clean, but be washed with soap and water when possible. If you can boil them in a pot of water, that’s even better. Intense heat sterilizes very well. So boil your medical tools on high or pass the metal ones through flame. You will have to make sure the metal tools are cooled down properly though before you use them, otherwise they will work to cauterize the wound which is not always the desired result. We’ll go into more of that later. Alcohol also sterilizes, the stronger the better. Degtine, rum, or whiskey is better than wine or ale, for example.” A breath was taken in, but before he launched into the next part of the lecture, he paused. A wry twist took his smile when he realized he had been rambling and he looked at his pupil. “Ah, do you have any questions so far? It’s likely that a patient will come soon. I usual have a couple this time of day. That will probably be more interesting for you.”

[Ssezzkero]

"Well yess." Her answer was abrupt. Of course venom effected the blood, of course Kero knew very little on how to explain that to the man, it had always simply been something she knew. She knew it when she hunted and it had always been knowledge that she didn't think about. "Well, it iss a liquid... and it ssort of... jusst goess into blood." Sezkero shrugged at her exceptionally pitiful explanation. Clearly, her own self-awareness was much lower than she originally thought.

But Caelum was whisking away from the topic, focusing on basic aide. She was an eager learner, and it seemed as if the gorgeous stranger was a willing teacher as well. Muslin Bandages. The small Iyvess made the note as she listened to Caelum's explanation. Cleanliness is important. On the topic of cleanliness, the snake found herself folding her arms behind her back, suddenly unsure if she should touch anything. Of course the snake was aware of cleanliness, she knew to wash herself daily and her hands when preparing food. She was usually an organized person, but if sanitation was the difference between life and death, she suddenly felt like a sponge of infection and disease in the infirmary.

Of course the sudden self-consciousness was quickly forgotten when the Ethaefal held up two hands to show her the glimmering mark of a Gnosis. Rak'keli, The Sezkero noted the Diety. The Goddess of Healing. Of course it is no surprise he's got a mark from her. While the snake had no idea to what God this gift had come from, she immediately recognized the celestial magic of it. After describing his gifts, Sezkero had to hold her tongue from asking more on them. Surely they did more than simply sterilize? But Sezkero held her tongue, following Caelum's words with her eyes. The sudden lesson in medicine was not something she was willing to interrupt. Heat Sanitizes, of course. She cleaned enough to know that much. But the snake didn't tune the advice out, focusing instead on the idea of passing metal through a flame to sterilize it. That much she hadn't known.

Once there was a lull in the lesson, and the Ethaefal asked for questions, Sezkero let her thoughts loose. Wide brown eyes flitted around the empty infirmary at the mention of a patient.

"Okay, but how can an infected cut make a persson ssick?" Sezkero let her hands fall back to her sides, shifting her weight as she listened to the answer, hoping she had understood it right. Once he had explained, she let loose two more questions. "And how doess Alcohol clean thingss? Wouldn't it infect the wound?" Of course the snake was also curious on what 'cauterizing' was, assuming it was some sort of burning, but Caelum had said he would explain it later.

"What ssort of patientss do you ussually get?" The snake asked once all explanations and questions had ceased, stepping a few steps back to look back at the door leading to the Tavern's main room, still as empty as a midday tavern-room would be.

Common | Snake-Tongue | Tukant | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Konrad Venger]

Nice job! Your work has pleased The Sloth! Sezkero XP: Observation - 2 Socialization - 3 Philosophy - 1 Rhetoric - 1 Investigation - 1 Lore: Philosophy: Giving Back to Society Caelum: Healer and Maybe-Mentor Caelum: Impossibly Gorgeous Medicine: Anti-Venom(?) Click Me! : Caelum? Ledger. Expenses. PM. Me. That order. Then XP and Lores, oh my! Urgh! This could have been so good! And it was interesting seeing Kero stumble and fumble but NOT out of girlish attraction, as one would expect, but sincere desire to DO A GOOD JOB. And I am sure she will. Eventually. Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!