Kill Bill (Verin Rush)

by **Amolina** on March 10th, 2014, 12:58 pm

Timestamp: Day 2 of Spring 514 AV
Location: The Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station, NMSS, in the Noble District of Ravok

It was quite early in the morning this day in early spring.

Amolina was alone in the location. She sat at her desk in the office part of the lovley lobby with its rose colors and flower patterns. Really beautiful home decoration, if you asked Amolina, and perhaps Valerius would agree too. The third partner of the project, Parnell, seemed to not notice how nice and stylish everything was - she even thought she once had heard him mutter something about 'cute flowers' under his breath.

Now when they had closed the massive tests of old folks from the home nearby there was calm and peace in the location. There was less paper work and practicalities and perhaps Amolina would finally find time to learn about medicine and other relevant things for research. She hoped so.

Well. My partners are busy people, and sometimes I'm wondering if they have teamed up to do things behind my back, she thought to herself. It wasn't the first time she had suspected this. There had been lots of discussion about research on used nuit brains at one point, but then it had suddenly not been one more word said about it. At least not in her presesence. Both her partners had seemed nigh obsessed with that line of research...and then this sudden and total silene had followed. She had expected them to obsess about it more, but no, not a single word.

It was weird.

Were they withholding information from her? Were they planning to keep her outside some profitable business and take all the money themselves ? Did they think her lack of knowledge would make her easy to cheat?

Perhaps she ought to start some kind of secret tests of her own, just to counter ? She didn't know much about science, but she could learn in the process ! It could be best to have a strong and healthy test subject though. She wasn't sure about that Taleena who had been recruited by Parnell. The woman seemed nervous and Amolina had a feeling it could easily get out of hand if she tried something there.

The door opened and she looked up. Verin Rush had arrived.

by **Verin Rush** on March 19th, 2014, 12:17 am

*

“…And then, of course, I told the Missus that I… I was at fault, and that I didn’t know what I was talking about!” Verin sat there in silence, barely listening to the Ravosalaman’s drivel as the ravosala moved at a tediously slow pace. Understandable, he wanted to say, as I can fully imagine that the list of your faults, or indeed the list of things you don’t know, could take us well into tomorrow… but let’s save that exciting list for later, as I have places to be. Instead, he uttered, “Evidently.”

The parchment with what he imagined was Amolina’s elegant scrawl was crunched up in his now healed hand, the creases growing with each passing chime. It had been around forty days since Valerius Nitrozian had removed the stitches that ran horizontally, healing the accidentally self-inflicted wound on his palm. And it had been about forty chimes since he had received the invoice for the treatment from the Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station. “So what was I s’posed to do then, eh? So do you know what I tells her, I tells her-”

“I always insisted to my father that Ravok was full of people with some form of higher brain functioning,” Verin, tone was clipped, ice saturating each word as he interrupted the man without preamble, “Once again, he is proving me wrong from whatever purgatory he was sent to. And I can only conclude now that I wasted my breath, along with several chimes of my time, in explaining to you that I wanted to get to the Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station before the Watchtowers change.” The blond did not bother to turn around to see the man’s expression; he remained silent for no more than two chimes before he launched back into his story. As his father’s mocking image flittered across his mind, Verin scowled and gritted his teeth for the rest of the extensive journey.

Upon arriving, Verin offered the ravosalaman complimentary words of thanks, but no tip for his time, and he stalked over to the doors of the new centre of healing. This time, he wasted no time in pushing the doors open and stalking inside. Pale blue eyes scanned the entrance hall in search of the nurse and, through a partially closed door over to the left, he saw the signature disorganization that could only be his childhood friend’s desk. Wasting no time, he made his way over, now moving at a slightly slower pace than before, though he was glad that there were no other patients present, or worse, Nitrozian – he had no interest in confronting the aristocrat who had probably never had to worry about money a day in his life.

The actress looked up as he entered an they met eyes briefly, and he thought he detected a look of surprise in the woman’s eyes. “Good,” he thought – this wasn’t a planned visit; he had better uses of his time, rather than squandering it on informing an organization in its infancy that they could not expect to charge so much for such a simple procedure. “Amolina.” He greeted, throwing the creased invoice on top of all of the other notes and documents littered across the desk, “What is this?”

*

by **Amolina** on March 21st, 2014, 5:59 pm

Amolina watched the crinkled paper Verin Rush had thrown on top of the other papers on her desk. Being an actress she was good at observing other people, so she saw at once that he was upset. The expression on his face matched the angry tone in his voice when he said her name, and he didn’t seem to be there for a nice social call.

She took it and had a closer look at it : an invoice. It had been sent by Valerius, or more likely, by that arrogant dark skinned slave girl of his, as Valerius wouldn’t write and send invoices himself. It said that Verin Rush was to pay 300 gold mizas for the treatment by doctor Valerius Nitrozian in winter. Amolina had participated too, but her work wasn’t mentioned on the invoice.

Amolina guessed Valerius hadn’t trusted her with the administration of this invoice due to how much money it was. She wasn’t too good at the paperwork. She was an artist, an actress, not an administrator. What did they expect ? And also, charging nothing at all for the nurse work, like she hadn’t done anything of worth, what did Valerius mean ? Why didn’t he speak with her about his plans for the research ? Why didn’t he live up to his promises to teach her things? Where WAS he, what did he DO all the time? Amolina only knew he was busy with something that seemed very secret, that was all.

Her business associates were behaving in suspect ways sometimes. Just think of how Parnell had tipped her chair back on two legs, then dropped it and made it crash down … his way of asking questions had made her confess lots of untrue things, and now he believed she had been working with that Barton who was totally unknown to her, and she had told him she had been blackmailed, though not by whom.

And what good had it done her… well, Parnell had stepped in and saved her when she had been assaulted, she gave him that, she was grateful for it, and right after it happened she had felt friendly, even. But her cooperation with him, if they were supposed to cooperate, she wasn't sure if he thought so, was still a mess of misunderstandings.

Right now she just felt annoyed.

And she had started to feel more and more and more sure they were acting behind her back. They could seem to have something going on. There were glances they gave each other, sentences that seemed short, discussions that seemed to fade and die if she came near. It made her feel she was entitled to think of herself…entitled to leak a little information to Xavier even.

She thought about last winter's new products, the anti-flu medicines Tee-Whiney, Honey of the Lily and Random Pity. Parnell had immediately said they were too feminine and would only sell to women. Valerius hadn't even cared to comment. Ha! Like “Noosewine Tea” was any better. Tee-Whiney or Noosewine - what was the difference ? And why would men prefer Noosewine Tea to Tee-Whiney?

Why? Answer that, Nolan Parnell, she thought aggressively. I want to know why real men like Noosewine Tea but hate Tee-Whiney !

Now they were giving away her work for free too. Well, it was Valerius doing, but she felt generous and included Parnell too in the anger. If this was how little value they put on her efforts, she ought to …

“Good day Verin” she said, smiling at her blond childhood friend. “It looks like the invoice for the medical treatment. Sent by doctor Nitrozian. But he seems to have forgotten a few things. He’s so distracted, you know how doctors are. Good of you to alert me … it will be 450 gold mizas in total, actually."

by **Verin Rush** on April 6th, 2014, 11:10 pm

Ticks passed as Verin stared incredulously into Amolina's eyes. “I could buy a decent salve with that sort of money, Amolina!” He hissed in irritation, though he stopped himself from continuing on in anger, choosing instead to bow his head, as he rested his hands against the corner of the woman's desk, close his eyes and breathe deeply for a chime or so, as he tried to calm himself. Though she had added her own rate to the already steep price, this was not Amolina's fault, and, even if it was, yelling would get himself nowhere.

As he leaned there in silence, a few deep breaths was all he needed to clear his head; his technique was improving since he had began practising the art of Hypnotism. Then, he allowed his mind to drift in contemplation of his situation. It had been a long while since he had seen the young woman, or had a drink with her, or even shared a meaningful conversation with her. He tried to think back to when they were both children, trying to remember if she was the sort for sarcasm, jokes and otherwise well-meant jests and pranks at the expense of another. But he couldn't recall much of his past, beyond the attention he had to afford his brother when they were growing up.

From the look on the woman's face, and the monotonous tone of her words, however, Verin deduced that Amolina was not trying to be funny. Annoyingly, he might have expected someone like Doctor Valerius Nitrozian to ask for such an extortionate rate of pay for working up the energy to get out of his down-feather stuffed bed each morning and going to work in order to pay for a new slave, who will make his expensive life just that little bit easier. But Verin was surprised to find his friend asking for even more money from him.

They might not be close with the actress anymore, but surely Amolina was aware that Verin and Venser were by no means rich men. Maybe someday, when he was an Agent of the Black Sun, he would be able to live a much better lifestyle. But his father's drinking, debauchery and gambling had left the only just matured Rush twins with little to their name, other than the threat if execution for themselves, following then itchy of the murder. Since then, Verin's modest bar tending job barely helped him to scrape through in a reasonable lifestyle, with little extra for his own pleasure and enjoyment. Venser got a little more, but he would not be asking his brother for any money, if he could avoid it in any way.

Verin was not a particularly proud man, insofar as he didn't consider himself to be sinful as such, but he did find enough embarrassment in his situation to turn and look around, checking to see that no one was listening to the conversation as he spoke to the actress-turned-nurse. “The Malt House keeps me alive, but it has not made me a rich man, Amolina,” he said softly, as pale blue eyes met her own, darker gaze, “I came to your facility in the hopes of fast treatment and a level of discretion, what with the foolishness of the injury I sustained. I did not realise that such efficiency and discretion would cost me so dearly.” With emotion that Verin generally tried to avoid showing, he stared at his old friend, imploring her to help him find some way out of paying 450 Mizas for little more than stitches and removal.

by **Amolina** on April 8th, 2014, 10:26 am

Amolina had listened to Verin without showing any sings of compassion when he said he wasn’t rich. Not being rich, like Valerius, and not even trying to get rich, as herself or Parnell, this didn’t do anything for Verin. As she thought of it his lack of money made him more unimportant in Ravok. It just made him seem powerless.

She knew the Rush twins though and she liked Verin. So albeit all he said was a lot of rubbish that wouldn’t get him anywhere she heard him out. She wondered what he thought she could do. Just tear the invoice ? If she did, Valerius would demand that she payed it herself. Parnell was likely to side with him. With a 2/3 majority she could end up forced to pay Verins medical treatment or if she didn’t give them the money, she could end up paying the debt in some other way. Their indebted test subject Taleena and the things Parnell did with the poor woman came to her mind. Amolina didn’t want to be at the receiving end of his poision experiments.

“Verin” much as I can understand you I’m sure you understand that I can’t give away our services for free. This is a highly qualified medical care station with a front end research department. My partners would flay me alive ..."

She actually recalled one of them threatening to do that once upon a time. Or planning, was maybe a more correct word. This was long ago and the visions of maggots crawling over flayed and decapitated corpse had stopped haunting her by now, but she remembered the words. Nowadays she suspected he wouldn’t have done it, as it seemed unprofitable. Profit was king to her colleagues as she understood it, profit, business and profit. They would likely not kill somebody who could be a perfectly good test subject for the continued research.

Come to think of it ...

“Sometimes we make a deal with people who can’t pay” she said. “We aren’t impossible here Verin. So if you like I could write a contract with you ... you could work extra here for a while and pay that way. “ She paused before she ended : “I’m sure the partners of Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station would welcome the chance to work with you. Our current extra employee is a woman who isn’t making anybody happy. So - if you want to help science by trying out new medical treatments, then I can sign you up to work here as test subject. It would entail being available for doctor Nitrozian’s experiments as well as for ... my own research.”

Own research ! Didn’t that sound great ! Yes, this was how her future would be, she felt sure. She was going to be a power to count with in ravokian science, one day. Verin Rush could be the test subject she needed to finally get anything off the ground. He could be the key to success ... wich would be good, after a quite long time of being thrown all the administration on, left to organize papers and smile at the old folks home volunteers, have tea with Anita and Seamus, not to mention that retired stryfer Lorenzo - and after they had left the project, take care of Taleena when the woman wasn’t feeling well, which was most of the time. Seeing Taleena’s situation she had to admit it seemed very impractical indeed to be an unmarried mother of limited means. It seemed like ruthless people would take advantage of it. This was nothing for Amolina !

It had looked bleak for a while in her opinion. Stagnated,even. But recruiting Verin could maybe give the whole project a well needed push forward, and her own career too !

“What do you say Verin ?”

If Verin agreed to the arrangement she would write a contract he could sign.

OOCIf Verin accepts this offer, feel free to write his contract in next post. After that I can hand in the thread and you can start your thread with "Doc Nitrozian. Or if Verin doesn't accept, Amolina will say that she will give the invoice to Valerius and he will deal with this when he gets time. Either way, I think we could make this the end

by **Verin Rush** on April 11th, 2014, 2:50 pm

*
It was hard to listen to his long-time friend describing the place as a highly qualified medical care station without saying anything in return; he knew that he and Amolina had drifted as they had gotten older, but he was still sure that, until recently, Amolina had been pursuing a career in the dramatic arts, not one as a medical professional. Further research showed that the Nitrozian boy was a worker at the Kelvic Research Institute. Even if the man was a medical researcher there, he would work solely on Kelvics which were markedly not human. Verin couldn't help but find it insulting that a man trained to work on creatures who were little more than animals would charge so much to treat the superior species. The third partner he knew of was Nolan Parnell, the poisoncrafter that he had entered into an exchange of knowledge with. He didn't know why a research facility geared towards the treatment of the people of Ravok would need a poisoner on the team, unless Parnell had suddenly seen the light, changed his ways and decided to treat, rather than kill. Somehow, Verin doubted it.

He knew that there was no point in negotiating further with the woman, however, and bowed his head in agreement to Amolina's offer, knowing that there was nothing she could do to cut down the amount that he owed the Station. From the way she spoke, Verin inferred that he was not the first patient to be made this offer, and he wondered what tests they had out others through, and what tests he might be subjected to. But he agreed nonetheless, having no other option. “Give me a contract then, Amolina...” he sighed, a clearly defeated sound, as he held out his hand. With the professionalism that could only be expected from an actress, Amolina reached over and pulled some parchment, and scribbled away for a couple of chimes as Verin watched on with growing impatience.

Whilst watching, he remembered back to when he had first come to the MNSS, when he wondered briefly whether he should have given Venser's name, rather than his own. He doubted whether Amolina could have told the difference between the twin brothers now. But Verin's relationship with his brother was already stretched to breaking point, and this would have threatened it more than anything else ever could. He was glad that he hadn't lied now; knowing that, whilst the brother's generally didn't have a problem with one becoming the other, Venser would have been furious at being dragged into a situation like this one. Once finished, she glanced over it briefly before handing it over to the blond, who read through the contract, filling out the necessary blank spaces.

I, Verin Rush, citizen of Ravok, in lieu of payment for the treatment of stitches to my hand on the th Day of Winter 514AV, agree to work with the Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station until the debt of 450 Gold Mizas has been paid off in full.

Expected services to the NMSS include, but are not limited to, participating as a subject in tests and experiments conducted by the named partners: Amolina Moletta and Valerius Nitrozian. Contract completed upon agreement of a partner of the NMSS and the above named patient.

Signed: Verin Rush

He handed the document back to Amolina without so much as a smile. He did not blame his friend for the overpriced medical care, not the situation he now found himself in, but he was finding it difficult to muster the usual control he had over himself. “If that will be all, Miss Moletta,” his tone was short and clipped as he spoke his friend. His mood was now distinctly worse than when he had arrived, and he knew that he would need to go for a walk to clear his head before he was needed to serve the rowdy punters that would no doubt chose to descend upon the Malt House. Today of all days, he did not want to have to deal with the drunkards. “I must return to work.” Without waiting for a response from the actress-turned-nurse, he turned and began his walk back out.

by **Catastrophe** on May 4th, 2014, 4:25 am

Amolina :

Verin Rush :

Notes :

Closed Kill Bill (Verin Rush)