tushanshu | 003 - early September

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003 - early September - video

[Raine looks serious when she starts the video feed. This isn't unusual, per se, but she also looks like she might have been ill recently. Either that or she needs a lot more sleep than she's getting.]

If you were wounded in the recent altercation, even if you were healed at the time, please check in with one of the Foreigner healers at the hospital, just to be sure. Whatever toxin was on those weapons is a nasty piece of work; I thought I'd purged it from my system almost immediately, but still suffered some not insignificant illness. [If anyone's familiar with how quickly she can heal most things -- very -- this may be slightly concerning.] Given who exactly was most probably at the root of the attacks, this is not the time for stoicism, especially if you were exposed to a greater dose.

If you were hurt, and especially if you notice anything out of the ordinary, let someone know. If the hospital bothers you, or if you have privacy concerns, you can come to me directly. Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's far better to err on the side of caution when it comes to the enemy. There are few enough of us that it's foolish to take needless risks.

[Raine is far, far too familiar with how hiding potentially serious injury or illness goes. She's not even sure there will be any aftereffects, but this is something with which they can't afford to take any chances as far as she's concerned. And given that the majority of Foreigners she's met seem to have a similar sort of stubborn independence... well, she's not even sure she'll get a response, but it's worth trying.]

---

[[ooc; this should be only a few days after the big fight. timeline slightly fuzzy but definitely not after the fifth of September or so.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ooc|| this follows up this and this, and has been shifted here for tidiness' sake.]

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Later that day, Raine made her way to the hospital, a notebook under her arm and her staff in hand as ever. She paused in the lobby rather than going any further to an exam room yet, reasoning that this would be the best place for Enjolras and Gazelle to find her. With a little bit of luck, the timing of their arrivals would coincide well enough, and time alone with either one wouldn't be a problem in any case if that should happen.

Akito wastes no time heading to the hospital once he receives Raine's message. It doesn't take him long to get there, as there are few obstacles blocking his way via rooftop.

Raine is easily recognizable once he arrives, and he hurries over to her. He sees no Taint on her, which is a relief. Raine is important to the hospital, and having her compromised would be more than just an inconvenience.

"Raine-san, hi. It's good to see you again."

On his way through to the hospital, Enjolras had gotten a message, of sorts, via Taraja, who he had been trying to keep himself locked away from while he was so angry. It'd taken about fifteen minutes to try to explain that he didn't want his mood to hurt her, and that he was sure he would be all right, and that, yes, after he talked to the healers trying to help, that he would be sure to let her know what was going on, and that yes, they certainly could go to the turtle's head when he was feeling better.

At any rate, it's made him a bit later than he expected, though still in the vein of being fashionably so, and he's annoyed, but does not want to be annoyed while he moves over to greet Raine.

"I do apologize if you have been waiting long. The mental shields I've tried to put up are not so great when compared to a worried young turtle's ability to penetrate them. I would hate for any of this energy to leak into Taraja."

It takes Raine a moment to recognize Akito, since it's been ages since she's seen him, but when she does she smiles. "And you as well, despite the circumstances. Thank you for coming. I believe the other we're waiting for will be here soon-- ah." She spots Enjolras from a bit of a distance, lifts her free hand to wave to him and waits for him to approach. "There."

"It's no trouble," she says when he apologizes. "The children can be insistent." She's very familiar with this tendency. She glances from Enjolras to Akito, then nods to herself before heading toward one of the halls off of the lobby. "There should be a free exam room this way. Have the two of you met?"

It's been quite a while since he's last seen Raine in person, so it's nice to reconnect with an old ally despite the circumstances that facilitate their meeting. He also hears what the unfamiliar man says and it gives him pause. Knowing how Quintus' presence helps him with nightmares, Akito wonders if it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that a hatchling's presence could help those Tainted as well.

He'll confirm the theory later on with Quintus, then have his hatchling pass the message along to the others.

"We haven't met," he answers with a shake of the head. "I'm Gazelle. It's good to meet you." A quick glance in Enjorlas' direction to double-check what he confirmed earlier (a confirmation that gives him enough reason to use his alias despite meeting face-to-face), and he looks back to Raine: "I've done my scan already, Raine-san."

Edited (pressed enter too soon :x) 2014-09-21 09:46 (UTC)

It IS true that when it comes to the sorts of things that actually have worked in keeping Enjolras from waking in complete terror most of the time, Taraja's presence in the corner of his mind, whether she is around or not, is the only thing that's made it possible for him to sleep through several nights, now, too. That is, however, rather for later, yes.

"And yes, they certainly can be." He agrees, offering a nod of greeting when Akito speaks. "It is good to meet you too, though I wish the circumstances had been slightly less grim. My name is Enjolras."

He's blinking at the next statement there, surprised that it has taken only that. Here, he's become more used to variations in the way that manipulating the world can be, but, even for that sort of thing, this does seem rather quick.

Since he'd said all he needed was to get a look at an afflicted person, Raine wasn't particularly surprised at the rapidity of his analysis. "What did you see?" she asked Gazelle, judging that if Enjolras was overshadowed in some way he probably had the right to know about it as well.

She turned her attention back to Enjolras next, looking him over more closely with an eye for any areas he might be favoring. "And, Enjolras, you said you weren't completely healed, correct? I'd like to see the wound before I do anything to it." Raine had phrased it as a request, but her tone said it probably wasn't. Strictly speaking, she didn't need to see it to heal it, but she needed as much data as possible.

"Mal-nyan has compromised him." It's the politest way Akito can think to break the news. He tries to relax, but the combination of being in a hospital and being near a stranger afflicted with Malicant's Taint makes him nervous. "Not as bad as it could be, but it's there."

"Well, that is rather something of a problem, I expect." Enjolras tried to go for a deflection in the moment, because he was not allowed to panic at the moment. Keeping things under a tightly controlled exterior wasn't going to work for the moment, so he shot for a wry tone, trying to be as unaggressive as he could under the circumstances,and ended really rather flatly for his efforts.

"Well, that did not work." He muttered, glancing at both of them in turn. "Yes, of course." When one was attached to one doctor, and close friends with another, and worked among doctors now, to boot, one learned quickly that agreeing with healers of any sort tended to be the most useful option possible.

"I will need some help with my sleeve." In preparation of the visit, he had worn no waistcoat, so that, at least would make things easier. "I am able to move it but...' He hissed through his teeth a little as he made an attempt on its own.

"Is there a...ah...protocol for the condition yet?" He might as well know, from the start, what he is looking at dealing with.

Agreeing with the healer was almost always the safest option. "It is. Gazelle, can you be any more specific about how he's compromised, or is its presence the extent of what you can see?" Raine gave him a sideways glance, wondering briefly if she should be concerned, given that the person who could see the taint seemed nervous.

Enjolras' pained hiss quickly distracted from that, however, and Raine closed in on him rapidly. "Stop. Here, let me." Providing he permitted, she approached the interfering clothing with practiced movements that said she was long accustomed to carefully separating fabric from injuries. "No, there's no specific protocol yet, apart from asking you to keep watch on your emotions. I wish I had something more to tell you, but you're the first afflicted person I've managed to get a look at since the initial event."

Akito shakes his head. "I can only see it. It's origin point is the injury; it's densest there. The rest of the Taint is just spread out from that point."

He wishes that he could help more, but there isn't much he can do aside from be able to confirm Taint and - to some degree - how bad the infection is.

It's occurring to Enjolras that there may be one way to attempt containing the taint, even as much as the idea is a bit, well, more than a bit,disturbing, and would render him unable to do much of anything.

"...If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell..."

He mutters the words, hating them as he says them, though that might be an answer.

"If it could be contained in such a way, or if it should be better that I die before harm is done, I am willing, though I hope that there might be another way to keep the infection where it is, at least."

He looks at Akito, a frown crossing his face as he does so. "Is it localized enough for anything like that? Of anything, I hope it does not spread.

"We don't know enough yet," Raine said to Enjolras, over the examination of his wound. "The non-physical aspect suggests simple amputation is out of the question, however. Killing those infected also doesn't seem like a viable solution; at this point, there are simply too many, and it's too soon to say whether a cure won't be found." She glanced at Gazelle for confirmation on the first part, but she was relatively certain.

She stepped back a bit when she was satisfied, and added, "Pragmatism is an admirable trait, but it's a little soon to give up. I can physically heal that the rest of the way for you, at any rate, and there's another technique I can try that has at least the potential to help with the other aspect." Gazelle would be able to tell her if it worked or not, which made this the perfect time to experiment.

Akito shakes his head. "It originates and is strongest where the wound is, but it's already spread everywhere." He doesn't know how to properly explain what he sees, and doesn't know if he wants to even try. He's seen many awful things in his life but doesn't remember any of it feeling quite so unsettling.

"Good enough."

Enjolras nodded at Raine's answer, a bit relieved that nothing of that sort was happening today. If he had to die to end this, even though he had died before, he would have rather had the time to prepare himself, find homes for all of the books currently at home, and to organize things a little more. He'd left all of his affairs in order last time, a simple letter with his name and address, a note placed on the desk in his apartment in Paris, instructions to burn several volumes worth of his personal papers to avoid incriminating anyone who might be left alive, a separate letter for his editor containing his thanks and a good quarter of his assets. Carrell had been in prison, and funds could go a long way towards making life easier there. The rest of his money had been earmarked for the free hospitals in the city where it could have at least done some good, most of his personal effects offered to his closest friends, had they survived, and, if not, to some of his other contacts.

Here, Enjolras did not have nearly as many things, and less money to offer, but he would have felt better, organizing their distribution as it was. That said,the news that followed Raine's assessment was really rather dire, though he tried to respond as normally as he could. It was not Akito's fault what had happened after all. Still, he was composed throughout. It would not change if he panicked for any of this, as it was.

"I am willing to try near anything to stop it making things worse, then." He told them both, giving Raine a nod. "And yes, the pain being gone would be nice."

She was honestly beginning to be a little concerned about Gazelle. If he stuck around, she'd have to make sure he was all right, as well, but one thing had to be handled at a time. "All right. Hold still."

Not strictly necessary, but it was nice. Raine concentrated for a moment, and a circle of white light appeared, centered on her feet and rotating slowly. It was full of patterns, sharp and angular, visible only for a few brief seconds before the entire thing vanished into a warm green light, centered on Enjolras' wound. "Heal," she said firmly, both the name of the arte and an imperative all at once. The mid-level arte should be more than sufficient to close what remained of his injury.

"I believe I know already what you'll see, but it pays to be thorough. Any change?" Raine asked Gazelle next, faintly apologetic for the repetition. He'd already been a help.

Akito takes a moment to really look for any change (hoping), but sees none. He imagines it's much the same as being bitten by a snake - wait too long and by the time the surface wound is healed the venom has already run its course.

Finally, he shakes his head.

"Then, I suppose that we must see what we might see." Enjolras wouldn't deny that this is bothering him, but he is still appreciative of the efforts being made, all the same.

"My shoulder feels much better, so that is a help." He adds, giving Raine a little nod, and then turns to Akito.

"Better that I know what I might face than not. This cannot be easy for you to go through, but it is appreciated."

At least that much, she could help with. It might not be much compared to the greater threat of being compromised by the enemy, but it was something. She nodded briefly, returning the acknowledgement. "I'm going to try one other thing," Raine said, "and I appreciate your patience, both of you. This arte helped at the time, but if the poison, the taint, has sunk in too long I don't know that it will any more. One moment." And she concentrated again, for a slightly longer time.

The resulting arte this time showed as pale iridescence, faintly reminiscent of wings, folding down over Enjolras before dissipating. It wouldn't feel like much at all, a simple whisper of presence that at the outside might leave him a bit more alert than before. "Resurrection."

She gave it a few seconds before she looked to Gazelle again. It probably couldn't be nearly that simple.

Edited (it helps when I finish sentences oops) 2014-09-25 08:23 (UTC)

"It's the least that I can do to try and help." Akito isn't being humble when he says it in response to Enjorlas' appreciation. To him, he honestly believes it. Maybe if he could actually do something about the Taint he would think differently, but for now he feels somewhat inadequate.

To Raine, he nods and waits, then watches. He quick to realize that it's changed nothing, and shakes his head again when Raine looks to him.

"You have managed to do an admirable job of at least trying your hardest to keep us safe." Enjolras answered. "That you have the ability to try, and the willingness to do so is not insignificant."

And Then he fell silent himself, watching as the bits of the ...spell, perhaps? blessing?,fall on his shoulders there, staring at bit of color shifting on the surface there , watching it turn from pink to yellow, and to blue.

He does frown a bit, when it becomes clear that it did not exactly work as they had thought it might. Unsurprised as he is, given the grimness of the moment, it still worries him, especially thinking of Taraja, and how badly this might affect her. Still, the fault is not theirs by any means.

"I suppose I ought to keep you informed of any changes, then, correct?"

Raine couldn't say she was surprised. Disappointed, yes, but unsurprised. She thought carefully for a moment, wondering if there was something she'd missed, but no: if that combination didn't do it, she was going to have to look outside her current skills. "Yes, I'd appreciate that," she said to Enjolras. "Especially if it worsens, but any change at all. I'll see what I can learn from others, as well. Maybe there's something I'm overlooking."

To Gazelle she offered a tiny smile, trying for reassuring. "It may seem relatively small, but positive identification is a much better thing to have than uncertainty. Do you have a little more time? There's something else I'd like to ask you."

Akito listens to Raine and Enjorlas' exchange with half an ear, interested, but not enough to invade anyone's privacy. He isn't a doctor, or a healer. For years his place was putting people in hospitals, not helping them out of one.

Raine's question doesn't particularly surprise him. "I have some time."

"Of course." Enjolras gave Raine a nod. "If nothing else, I can write what is happening. It may be something of a rough idea, if nothing else.' You know, in case they all died here, or went mad under all of this, or anything along those lines. Or just in case, to serve as something of a projection should anyone else begin to display any traits like this.

Perhaps he ought to take his leave now, while they were speaking? He glanced towards the door, uncertain if the rest of this had anything to do with him or not.

"That may be also be useful, whether to healers or others so afflicted. If you have the time, please do." Raine returned the nod, with a bit of finality: this was a dismissal. She'd done what she could right now, and needed to keep going. "Take care of yourself, Enjolras."

She turned to Gazelle properly next, already moving on. "You run a delivery service, correct? Which necessitates that you see a good portion of the city? I'd like to ask you to keep a list as you travel, if possible." If she did remember correctly, that put him in a good position to see and identify a number of the city's residents.

003 - early September - video

later, at the hospital | closed to Enjolras and Akito;

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