A Strange Smell (Svasra)

[Valkyrie]

Winter 44, 512

Svasra stood inside the entrance of the Whitevine Healing Center. It was the middle of the afternoon and the place bustled with lively workers and a variety of patients. Some moaned as though they were dying, which perhaps they were given the location they were in, while others sobbed over tiny splinters in their fingers. A young man with dark blonde hair, clearly not a Vantha, noticed Svasra standing in the entrance and approached her quickly.

“Hi! My name is Laryn and I’m a healer here. Is there something you need assistance with?” the man said and gave her a flirtatious smile. He was a young man, only a year or two older than Svasra by all appearances. Svasra held up her hand to show Laryn the small cut running the length of her right index finger. It was a minor cut, nothing she had been worried about. But in the last day or so the cut had become inflamed and sore. Clearly in need of attention from someone with healing experience.

“Wow! That looks like it might be infected. Let’s get you over to an exam table, we don’t want that infection to spread.” Laryn’s eyebrows scrunched together in concern. He grabbed Svasra by wrist and began to gently pull her down the hallway before she had a chance to open her mouth and explain the matter. Laryn led her down the hallway and into an empty exam room. The room was sparse, a low table for sitting or laying on and a shelf to hold whatever supplies the healer might need at the time.

“Please, sit. I have to go get some bandages and salve for that finger, I will be right back.” Laryn said and released Svasra’s wrist. He gave her another smile and quickly trotted down the hallway towards the supply room. Svasra was left alone in the exam room for several chimes before Laryn returned.

“Here we are! Now, what I want to do is open up the cut and drain any infection we can find. Than we put some of this wonderful salve on the cut and a bandage and you should be great!” Laryn set a small length of bandage and a round metal container on the shelf. As he described the treatment he was going to give her he opened up the container to show Svasra the salve. It was a bright orange color and had a strangely sweet smell. The smell drifted up to Laryn’s nose and he frowned immediately. Holding the container closer to his face he gave another whiff and quickly set down the container.

Frowning, Laryn picked up the bandage for closer inspection. He rubbed the length of it with his fingers, a sticky residue on the bandage caused his fingers to skid roughly across the cotton. He set down the bandage and turned to Svasra, his cheeks red and his eyes wide in disbelief.

“Um…. I don’t know how to say this. I think the salve and bandage have been tampered with. Possibly poisoned. I can’t tell what has been put on them yet. This could be really bad, the other healers don’t know the supplies are contaminated. Morwen, I hope these two things are the only things that have been tampered with.” Laryn’s voice was breathless with his shock. He ran a hand through his hair as he quickly thought.

“Look, we are really busy and you aren’t injured too badly. Would you be able to help me go through the supply closet to see if anything else has been tampered with? We need to go through ALL of the supplies to ensure everything is okay. I hope no other healer has used this stuff today. Once we have gone through the supplies and hopefully found something safe I will take care of your infection. What was your name now?” Laryn frowned apologetically as he made his request of Svasra. He didn’t like having to ask a patient to help a healer, but this was a dire situation. If the medicines had been poisoned the conditions of the patients at the clinic could get worse, or they could possibly even die. Laryn tried not to think too deeply about that possibility.

[Svasra]

Svasra wasn't really one to run to the Whitevine Healing Center the second something came up. She knew how to take out a splinter, and rest her ankle if she twisted it. Keeping a cut clean was simple enough to stave away infection, while dealing with a cold was an easy concept of lots of sleep and water. The only times she did travel to this hospital of sorts was when she found herself floundering in how to proceed, as she also didn't want to become arrogant and begin to guess a diagnosis.

The cut on her finger drew her reluctantly to the Whitevines, as over the course of a couple days it had begun to get inflamed and even more sore. Though Svasra failed to come up with how the infection might have set in, she could only hope it was a quick fix in order to be on her way and not waste that much time.

Walking into the Whitevine Healing Center, Svasra kept her gaze mostly on her shoes or up at the ceiling. She disliked looking around and seeing the pain and disease, the moaning and sobbing she could hear even out in the waiting room was enough to make her frown. She hummed quietly as she waited, shifting from foot to foot, tapping her fingers against her pants in some absent rhythm. "Hi!" a chipper voice called, and Svasra looked up to see a light-hued male. Light in the sense he stood out midst the black-haired Vantha, and their flashing gazes. "My name is Laryn and I’m a healer here. Is there something you need assistance with?" The flirtatious smile was a bit disconcerting, though Svasra could only smile demurely back. In silent response, Svasra raised her hand, showing him the cut that ran down her finger. "Wow! That looks like it might be infected. Let’s get you over to an exam table, we don’t want that infection to spread," he said, taking Svasra's left wrist to pull her into an exam room.

Svasra was left alone in a matter of seconds as she was hustled into the room with only Laryn's assurance of, "Please, sit. I have to go get some bandages and salve for that finger, I will be right back." She blinked and slowly sat on the table, looking around herself at the almost bare room. Laying back on it, Svasra closed her eyes momentarily, and breathed in the scent of the clean environment.

The Vantha woman largely admired the staff of healers in Whitevine, with their patient hand and bright personalities. They loved their job, and healing was not only second nature, but simply self-satisfying. Svasra was sure that if you took a healer away from the sick and injured for too long they would just crack. It was like they were made, and meant, to be who they are. "Here we are! Now, what I want to do is open up the cut and drain any infection we can find. Than we put some of this wonderful salve on the cut and a bandage and you should be great!" The voice startled her, and Svasra cracked an eye open to peer at the happy man, who set down the supplies.

"The salve is made from some plants found around here known for their boosting properties. They help the body's natural defense in killing off the virus, while also preventing anything else from entering. By combining it with some pain-relieving roots, and a touch of soothing-inflammation oils, it works well on infected cuts, as long as they are small," Laryn was explaining. "Once this is allowed to settle into the cut, it might sting a tad, we will wrap it in this bandage. It's to help keep the bacteria out, and also keep the salve on - in addition to offering some comfort since I am sure it hurts when you accidentally knock it against something." Svasra nodded silently, extending her hand. "The bright orange color comes the pain-relieving plants used, as their sap is an odd color," he added as he opened the jar to show Svasra.

Peering at the jar, Svasra nodded silently, sniffing at its sickly sweet smell. Though it didn't smell quite right to her - was there something possible called too sweet? - she said nothing, assured Laryn knew what he was talking about. Instead of placing the salve on her finger though, Laryn visibly tensed, raising the jar slowly to take a whiff. Confusion littered his previously easy and happy expression, morphing into a mixture of horror and disbelief as he ran a finger along the length of the bandage - was it supposed to be sticky?

A tense silence enveloped the two as Laryn came to the realization, and the implications it brought along. " ... Um…. I don’t know how to say this. I think the salve and bandage have been tampered with. Possibly poisoned. I can’t tell what has been put on them yet. This could be really bad, the other healers don’t know the supplies are contaminated. Morwen, I hope these two things are the only things that have been tampered with. Look, we are really busy and you aren’t injured too badly. Would you be able to help me go through the supply closet to see if anything else has been tampered with? We need to go through ALL of the supplies to ensure everything is okay. I hope no other healer has used this stuff today. Once we have gone through the supplies and hopefully found something safe I will take care of your infection. What was your name now?"

Svasra bolted upright at the word of poisoned, eyes wide with shock. "What?" she asked weakly, as though Laryn would admit it as some sick joke and heal her. He only gaped at her in return, the thought of having poisoned patients putting him into an almost state of shock. "O-of course I'll help, I'm Svasra Snowsong," she said, leaping off the table. Her hand touched his shoulder reassuringly. "Go warn the healers," she said firmly, which seemed to penetrate the confused and lost stare he offered.
"Right." Laryn disappeared at a racing speed, and Svasra left alone once more.

She paced the floor for a moment, shaking her head in disbelief. Who had the audacity to poison the treatment of the sick Vanthas? Who was so twisted? What murderer walked among them? Svasra looked at the salve, and sniffed it deeply, inhaling the scent to commit it to memory. Perhaps Laryn only caught it because it smelled off, but hopefully this scent would be the signature of the poison and if Svasra remembered it she could detect it. Extending her unwounded finger, now acutely aware of what could happen if she touched something poisoned, Svasra felt the sticky quality herself, as though some sort of paste had dried upon it.

"I warned all the healers working right now to not dress any patients, though they assured me nothing was off this morning in their supplies." Laryn's voice shook as he wrung his hands. "It must have been done recently."
"We will worry about who did it later, let's go to the supplies room," Svasra pressed, wanting to keep Laryn focused on the matter at hand and not allow him to dwell too much on what could happen. It was probably enough to drive the healer crazy.

Laryn led the way silently, and Svasra followed suit. When he opened the door to the supplies room, Svasra froze in shock. She had somehow picture a room like the one she was in, neatly stacked with bandages, herbs hanging over, and a couple shelves of jars for the salves - perhaps a desk to make the medicines.

It was like that, yes, but on a much grander fashion. Huge, actually. Svasra could have sworn this was as large as her Arvinta! "We have to go through all of this?" she asked weakly, looking towards Laryn. He nodded slowly.
"A couple healers will come and help soon, but they are trying to come up with some sort of reason not to take patients, and not treat the ones we have currently." Svasra chewed her lip as she thought silently, brow furrowed in thought.
"Alright, why not this. I will go out and take list of what the healers need right now, in the matter of salves, or bandages. Then, the moment we run into an untampered one, we can run it out to them. It might slow down the process of going through all of this in the long run, but at least it might elevate the public's view on this, as they'll most likely come to the conclusion you're down on supplies and its taking longer for each healer to get their hands on it." Laryn seemed to contemplate that for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, warn each one of them to check the things they use closely though before they do - assume highest risk." He was visibly distressed to add, "I hate to think it, but there is always the possibility the poisoner is one of us." The look of his face was so stricken, Svasra felt compelled to hug him though they had known each other a matter of chimes.
"Breathe, let's go through this first, then we can worry about pointing fingers," she said soothing, feeling his arms come up hesitantly to return the gesture. When they parted, Svasra smiled at the man who smiled weakly back, nodding.
"Go on," he said with a small wave of his hand, turning to the closest shelf and beginning to twist open the jar.

This was going to be a long day.

[Svasra]

Svasra hurried away, grabbing a piece of paper, small ink jar, and quill as she left. "Doctor?" she called as she entered the main healing centre, and looked towards one that rushed past, a bandage in her hand. "Can we quickly gather all the healers, please?" Svasra requested quickly, grabbing the woman's sleeve to get her attention. Turning, the young doctor peered at Svasra curiously, though as Svasra added, "Laryn requests it," she moved to do her bidding.

Moments later, with every doctor in the Healing Centre surrounding her, Svasra gestured for them to step off to the side. There was currently seven working, with a couple assistants, and a few were already aware of the problem as they had almost treated someone with tampered equipment. "Alright, so, we have tampered equipment." Svasra hurried on before the healers could comment, "I'm Svasra Snowsong, and have been asked to assist in the process of going through the store-room and ensure nothing else has been tampered with. Though, that will obviously take a while. I am to take down what is needed immediately, and it shall be given at the first time we run into one that is fine to use. Even so, check everything over before treating your patient." The doctors listened closely, nodding as the threat of death hung so heavily with the passing of Hold leaders recently.
"Should we help Laryn?" one asked, and Svasra hesitated, shaking her head. His words bound unbidden into her mind "It might be one of us." She struggled to come up with a reason as the healers turned a suspicious eye, frowning at the small Snowsong who really had no authority within the Centre.
"It would add to the time. We would constantly be asking who has checked what, and the noise would be loud, there would be less doctors on the floor to deal with patients, and it would simply add to the confusion," Svasra said quickly, looking to each in hopes they would just leave the issue. Perhaps the possibility of the poisoner being within their ranks had occurred to the healers as well as they each nodded in silent agreement.

"Well, I need two chill berries," one man said, getting straight to the point. Svasra wrote it down quickly, nodding as she looked to the next.
"Strip of bandages."
"I need that also."
"Simple salve for cut."
"I need ..." The doctors listed everything, Svasra dipping the quill into the ink repetitively as she took each and every one down, noting with a small star the ones that were urgent compared to small things such as the finger that twinged every time she moved it. She nodded after each item, and the doctors drifted away, using the excuse that items were low and it would take some time to treat everyone. They had been briefed on just how low they were, and ordered into severity - anyone who had overheard anything on poison was waved off as there was a case of poisoning that was being treated immediately as most severe.

Svasra made her way back to the storage room, peeking in to see how Laryn was faring with the workload. "Laryn?" she called, easing the door closed. Showing the list, he glanced over it quickly.
"I've checked this whole shelf, and found those contaminated," he noted, gesturing towards a few salves that lay on a table in the middle.
"How are you going to make sure you don't contaminate the rest of them once you've touched those?" Svasra asked, causing Laryn to pause as he reached towards another item.
"They were salves, I only had to smell them."
"What is the poison was also on the jar itself?"
"Then I'll have to re-check this shelf .... we'll have to wash our hands after every contaminated piece we find. Thoroughly," he said with a sigh, shaking his head, "How did I not think of that ... some healer I am ..."
"Your under a lot of stress, Laryn, don't blame yourself," Svasra said quickly.
"Let's wash our hands now then, and don't use the same quill as you did. We don't have another ink jar, but just don't touch it until we can wash it thoroughly."

As they scrubbed away, Svasra kept an unconscious eye on Laryn, as he did seem scattered and anxious as time wore on. She suspected he was thinking too much on the blame than the matter at hand. "Laryn," she said, hoping to distract his thoughts and focus them onto the storage room. He looked briefly over in acknowledgement, eyebrow raised in question. "How did you know those few salves were tampered with?"
"The first one we use for burns that has a mix of chill berries and a few other ingredients, including peppermint. It smells strongly of peppermint, so you can tell something was added as it smelled off. The other was the same salve, but smelled much more strongly of peppermint, leading me to think that it was added to cover up something else," he listed off, his expression relaxing into one of a patient teacher, glancing over to ensure Svasra listened and understood.
"And the last?"
"The color was off for what it was supposed to be. It was a mixture to put over aching joints, made with chill berries again, that makes it a pale shade of purple with the other herbs that are crushed in as well. That was what it was labelled as, though the color was blue. That's usually the color of another paste we have, though it's used for infections, but a bit stronger than the orange one I was going to use on you. It smelled off though for that ..." The man seemed to enjoy explaining to Svasra, as though the talking kept his mind more quiet, which Svasra felt quite glad for.

When the two returned they had to start over, working slowly, Svasra assigned to work on the bandages, running a finger over them, sniffing the pieces of meek fabrics, and study the color they were tinted. Just had to be taken one step at a time.