• Closed • [Infirmary] Patching Things Up

[Virikai Talius]

16th Trial of Saun
718th Arc

It wasn’t the first time Virikai had been forced to leave the quiet sanctuary of the Facility of Retrospective Analysis to work in the Infirmary for the trial. The two were linked to the Academy, so he was ultimately employed by the educational institution, and they could make him work in any one of the locations as required. Even more recently, Virikai had actually opted to work in the Infirmary. One fascinating case of a young girl plagued seizures had captured his mind.

This trial, they were short staffed and, whilst his favourite patient had long been sent home with a clean bill of health, the Talius scion still found himself.. happy to be in the Infirmary. It seemed that, for one thing, the elderly Matron, Ethel, had stopped treating him like a novice employee she could pass cleaning and any other roles of drudgery. It had been a number of arcs and three completed qualifications since he had met the stern woman, and he was finally in a position of responsibility and respect.

No more was he ordered around, instead, he was the one handing out orders. Virikai thrived on it. In this ward, for this trial, he was lord of his own domain. There was no Verity to breathe down his neck here, no Professor watching him over his shoulder. Here there was a little more freedom, a respect that he had worked hard to gain, rather than something he had been given because of his father’s name. If anyone asked him straight out, Virikai would say he thought nepotism had a place in the world.

Not all of his patients were directly related to his field of expertise, but Virikai had enough knowledge to see most people who came through for an initial assessment. “Keep the wound dry and covered for the next trial. Your son will be fine.” He smiled - there was that great bedside manner again - at the mother of his patient before signalling for the nurse to escort them out. “Who’s next?”

A list of names of patients yet to be seen this afternoon, some old, some new, was handed to him. He quickly scanned the list, checking symptoms and diagnoses rather than names. One was listed as concussion. That sounded interesting, definitely something he was capable of managing. His gaze read the page backwards, finding the matching name and he blinked.

Passing the list back to the nurse, he strode down the ward to the end bed. “I’m beginning to think I need to act upon my earlier promise to provide you with constant protection, Bella,” Virikai murmured to his future wife quietly enough so that no one would overhear him. The words were exacting, but the tone and smile demonstrated he wasn’t serious.

[Maebella]

Maebella had been escorted to the Infirmary by one of the trainers at the Academy's Fitness Centre. Perhaps they'd been worried that she'd pass out on her brief trip across the snowy Academy grounds but if so then they'd been sorely disappointed. She could have reached her destination without any assistance, even given the wallop she'd taken to the head. True, she was feeling a little on the dizzy side, a tad unbalanced but she'd dealt with worse; she'd been drunk before and had managed herself just fine. The young woman wasn't entirely helpless. She hadn't needed anyone to tell her that she needed to attend the Infirmary either. The bang she'd taken had been hard enough to almost entirely black out her vision when it occurred and the sense of unbalance afterwards, however slight, was sufficient cause for concern. She was Eídisi and therefore not stupid and not what one could call reckless either.

It was actually a little embarrassing when she reached the Infirmary though. Once her escort was gone and she was in capable medical hands, a nurse began asking her questions, checking her over as she did so. The student had been training, practising the physical techniques of Menochoros, when she'd sustained the injury. If someone had hit her and caused her an injury that way, either directly or indirectly by knocking her into something then it probably wouldn't be as bad. However, the hurt had come as a result of her own clumsiness, which given what she'd been working on, didn't make her abilities look particularly good. It certainly didn't help with her confidence.

Maebella had used the training 'trees' on many occasions, using the padded limbs to practise various types of strikes, keeping on the move as she did so. Constant movement was an important part of the martial art but it had also been her downfall. The girl had struck out with her foot while moving to the side, had caught herself on one of the lower limbs and lost her balance. Although the limbs were padded, it turned out that hitting them with your head with a fair bit of momentum behind them was very ill-advised.

She had discovered that the hard way.

It had caught the side of her temple and while she might be able to hide any bruising with her hair, she imagined that it was going to be large and very, very noticeable. It was going to be fun explaining it to Virikai later.

Except as it turned out, it would be sooner rather than later. When the nurse was finished with her, she left to hand off her notes and checked back very regularly to ensure that the young woman wasn't drifting off to sleep. The young woman had perched herself on the edge of the bed - not that she actually needed a bed - to avoid that possibility but still, she was watched avidly until the attending physician arrived and as the Immortals would have it, it was her fiancé.

She wondered which one of the higher beings had thought this would be a good joke.

Virikai's comment earned a sigh and an eye roll before the young woman dredged up a wry smile. "Oh, are they going to protect me from myself? Will they hand me, the perpetrator, over to the IA for harming the victim, which also happens to be me?" she questioned dryly, shaking her head as the smile grew a little wider. "Accidents happen, Kai. I know they do seem to occur in my vicinity a little too frequently for comfort but you can't wrap me in padding and never expect me to move ever again either."

She stretched her eyes open wide, her gaze slightly unfocused. Shaking her head had made things a little foggy for a moment there and the urge to simply close her eyes to rest had also struck. Best to keep herself properly conscious. Even though Kai was here now, he probably wouldn't approve if she allowed herself to drift off on his watch, even for a trill.

"I had the word 'concussion' thrown in my direction. I know very little about concussions except that they can be very bad. After I hit my head... well, I suspected it might be serious," she admitted, unthinkingly reaching up to tuck her hair back on the left side. Her fingers brushed the point of collision causing her to flinch away from the contact a little, air hissing from between her teeth. She cursed herself silently.

"How bad is it?"

She would be cooperative while he examined her, moving and doing as he asked so as not to impede his investigation.
/

/

[Virikai Talius]

“Well the other option is to lock you in a tower and keep you wrapped up in woollen blankets for your own protection…” the physician whispered, smile still tugging at his lips as he did a quick visual search of her exposed skin for physical injuries. Carefully, he ran his fingers through his fiancée’s hair, probably more gently what he would do with an average patient, but the intention still had a medical angle, rather than a romantic one.

Noting the initial blossoming of bruises across the hair line, Virikai wasn’t surprised when he pressed a little harder as he ran the fingers through scalp, searching for - and finding - lumps that had not been there that morning. “I would prefer it if the accidents didn’t mar my future wife so…” he trailed off, eyes narrowed as he heard a faintly slurred quality to Maebella’s voice, and his fingers lowered to her chin, pushing her head up in time to watch her blink rapidly, barely able to focus on his face.

Dropping down a little into a crouch so that his eyes were level with her’s, he cupped her face to keep it from moving, “I know you’re tired, but I need you to stay awake for me right now, sweetheart.” The accident only happened in the past break or so: if she didn’t have all of the symptoms yet, there was nothing to say that they could to develop in the next few breaks, or even over the following trials. Once again, he was very glad she was living with him, where he could monitor her properly.

“You would be right. Concussions are not a good thing. Do you feel any nausea or dizziness?” Regardless of answer, he would ask her for any other signs and symptoms to diagnose: vomiting, headache, visual disturbances. Virikai thought he knew the answers to the questions already. Knowing the girl in front of him as well as he did, he could read her like a book. But he would do it properly - a strange fear of making a mistake tickling the back of his mind in a way it had never affected him before.

Once the questions were answered, he asked her to chose a point on the wall behind him before looking into each eye, shining a focused light through them to check the contraction and dilation. Both were responding normally, which was an instant relief. “Well I am very glad you have the sense to come to the Infirmary, Bella. I assume you would be unwilling to give up this ridiculous… sport?” Virikai asked softly as he straightened up, sighing, and writing down his initial findings. He couldn’t yet answer her question: he knew she wasn’t seconds away from death, at least, but he also didn’t want to give her the impression that she was completely fine… if nothing else to use this as a learning experience.

[Maebella]

If she'd been capable of fixing him with a hard stare in that moment than she would have done so but just the thought of such an endeavour made her feel unwell. Instead she settled for making a rude noise followed by a tut.

"Well, if you can find a tower nearby, I wish you luck. I'm sure I could tie the blankets together and escape out a window. Unless you didn't intend it to have any windows?" she questioned sardonically. The image of him bricking up all the windows in a tower, making a tomb as well as a prison, was oddly amusing and she couldn't repress a chuckle. The mirth soured, lips twisting in a grimace as he gently combed his fingers through her hair. He wasn't trying to hurt her, Maebella knew that, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. She tried to school her features, put on a brave face for Virikai's sake. She pressed her lips together hard, clenching her teeth and doing her best to hold her tongue. If she said nothing then her true pain couldn't show through.

Unfortunately, the Eídisi discovered that not talking - even while concentrating on staying impassive - made her sleepy. She couldn't go falling asleep. She wasn't entirely aware how close she was to drifting off until her fiancé grasped her chin, sending a jolt of shock through her, eyes flying open wide.

"Sweetheart? You really must be worried," she slurred happily, teasing him but biting her lip as she heard the thickness of her own pronunciation. "Oh dear... I was right to come, wasn't I? I don't sound very good."

Her brows pulled together, creasing her forehead severely as she worried about that. The young woman had known that concussions were bad and she still had enough of her wits about her to register her own failings brought on by her condition. Thank goodness she had Virikai because this was frightening. She knew that something had been shaken in her head, something that if not broken was quite uncomfortably damaged. This might not be an easy fix and so she was thankful that she'd have a physician on hand in her future. It made her immensely glad that she lived with him now because it meant that if something went wrong then he was mercifully close at hand.

"A little bit of nausea and some dizziness. Definitely some dizziness," the student told him, chewing on her lip as she waited to see what else he'd ask, see what sort of prognosis he'd give. "When I hit my head, my vision went almost completely black. Things have wobbled a bit but... mostly clear. And yes, my head hurts. Other than that, um... my balance has been a bit off too. Obviously it was off to begin with or I wouldn't have-" she cut herself off abruptly, not willing to admit how she'd injured herself, even though the nurse had probably noted it down.

Choosing a point on the wall, she focused on it while he tested her vision with a light, resisting the urge to wince away from the brightness. It certainly made her head ache more but she didn't know if she should mention it to Virikai. She decided against it, especially when he straightened up, his question drawing a frown on the young woman's features.

"Kai, it isn't a sport. You don't have to say it with such... disdain. It's good for me, for mind and body," Maebella told him, raising her chin defiantly. "Yes, I'm hurt now but it's worth it. I'm not going to let someone beat me up in a bathroom again while I can do nothing about it. Had you forgotten that? I don't have that luxury. The injury healed but the helplessness? The humiliation? No. Never again," she stated firmly, determined enough that it didn't sound as if she wanted to give in any time soon.
//

[Virikai Talius]

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that bump to the head damaging that spirit of yours...” the lordling smirked, glancing up briefly from his notes. The expression faded quickly, though, into the indecipherable face she was so often used to seeing. I know that trial was a horrible experience for you. But you’ll also recall that this isn’t the first time I have had to patch you up. It is admirable that you should want to protect yourself, but there is no need to add further risk in the process. I can protect you.” That said, she wouldn’t be Maebella if she wasn’t so determined to be independent. Virikai was slowly beginning to accept that his wife would not tolerate being a kept woman. It was endearing as well as grossly frustrating.

But he saw the vague tinge if worry in his fiancée’s eyes and found that he could not bear to see such an expression when he had it within his power to assuage her fears. He put the unfinished notes back down. “If I could remove your hurt through kisses alone, I would.” The words were illustrated with a hand to brush lightly against her scalp, where he knew she wasn’t harmed, and light kisses over the bruises blossoming on her forehead.

“Alas, my greatness does not extend so far.” It said a lot about the relationship he shared with Maebella, that he was willing to jest about something he took so seriously - his skills and status. And he was concerned about her. The problem was that, knowing Maebella as he did, she was likely to work herself up into a state, which certainly wasn’t going to encourage recovery. “You’re going to be fine, Maebella, there’s no need for any histrionics.”

Having assessed physical symptoms, Virikai then moved on to cognitive ones. This was where he really came into his own, with all the work he had been doing in the facility beneath their feet (not that Maebella knew that). He could probably have identified her mental state just from a conversation but, as already established, he wanted to do this properly.

“Did you lose consciousness at any point? What do you remember of the incident?” He knew the answer from notes, and this was a test which would draw two conclusions: was she suffering and memory loss; or was she going to try to hide details from him?

Then, he needed to establish her coordination and motor movements. The girl was flagging still, but he needed this assessment completed now. “Stay with me just a little longer, sweetheart...” he held out his finger between them, pointing upwards. “I want you to touch my finger with your own finger, and then touch your nose, and then repeat that action until I say stop. I need you to do it as fast as possible.” In testing her sight and coordination all at once, he could learn a lot about her status if she failed or succeeded

[Maebella]

The young woman dredged up a wan smile, glad that she'd managed to win this battle in a way. He did enjoy her spirit, he'd always enjoyed it or so he said. He didn't seem to enjoy it all that much when it meant it clashed with what he wanted. Resistance wasn't something that he enjoyed, even when it was the result of her spiritedness. It amused him for the moment, displaying some fondness for her and her ways. The mirth was short-lived though, the remembrance of her attack brought between them, souring the mood.

"Admirable!" she retorted bitterly, shaking her head. "You say that as if what I'm doing is needless, Kai. Pointless. I'd like to believe that my actions aren't pointless." She shook her head, making a face at the prospect of needing her fiancé to look out for her constantly. Did he think that she'd remain glued to his side for the rest of her life? Was she not meant to stray more than an inch away from him? The young man couldn't protect her in every situation and she knew it. Heck, he didn't even believe the sort of danger she'd been in before. He hadn't believed her about her unexpected trip into the Tundra.

"Kai, I can't keep you in my pocket. Will I bring you into the bathroom with me for instance? Or did you mean that you could get someone to follow me around to protect me. Please, I don't want to talk about this. I won't change my mind and you know it," she told him as firmly as she could, touching her fingertips to her forehead with a grimace. Her head was slowly throbbing, a dull ache that came and went. She didn't know if it was this conversation or the concussion that was causing it but it could easily be a combination.

However, his unexpected sweetness made her hand drop away, the Eídisi blinking up at him with a surprised smile creeping onto her features. "You choose the strangest times to be sweet and romantic. But... I appreciate it," Maebella murmured, brushing her fingers against the hand he had in her hair. The touch was brief, the young woman aware that Virikai didn't like her to take initiative like that, to control their contact; he preferred to be the one who held the reins. She didn't think he'd mind such a little thing, even in a semi-public setting. He was the one who'd begun by kissing her here, albeit in a chaste manner.

She continued to smile at him, even before he reassured her that she'd be all right. It was a relief, she couldn't deny that. The young woman was able to breathe a little easier, relaxing before him, even as he resumed his more serious, professional demeanour. Tucking her hair behind her ear, the student nibbled at her lip, considering her answer.

"No, no loss of consciousness. I was training, I caught my foot on the apparatus, lost my balance and smacked my head on it. Embarrassing, painful and I remember every moment of it. I knew I had to come here to get it checked, some people at the Fitness Centre panicked a little and had me escorted here," she told him with a sigh, colour coming into her cheeks at the admission. She let out a laugh at his request for a coordination test, covering her mouth with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. You have your reasons for asking, it just sounds... slightly ridiculous. If it's testing my reactions and what have you, I don't know how well I could do at this on an ordinary trial so... don't judge me too harshly."

She raised her index finger in the air, inwardly laughing at it, wondering what had brought on such giddiness. She pressed it carefully against his finger before turning it on her nose, bouncing it off the tip. She repeated it, taking a few trills each time and seeming to take longer when she had to touch his finger, a minute crease on her forehead as she did so. The young woman would keep it up until he told her to stop, watching him expectantly to see what else he wanted of her.

"What's the prognosis exactly, Kai? What's the treatment?"
//

[Virikai Talius]

She was sweet, really. Naïve to consider that this little dancing sport could make a difference against the big bad in the world. Naïve to think that it would be Virikai following her around all the time. But she was getting worked up, and Virikai couldn’t have that. Her emotions seemed to be swinging back and forth and everywhere in between. Briefly, Virikai considered opening his mind to her, and allowing the light stream of consciousness to sift through. It would potentially be the best assessment he could do.

But, in doing so, he would open himself up to the rest of the ward, and he could barely control it around normal people, much less when surrounded by the infirm. It wasn’t worth it when he needed to be fully focused on taking care of his fiancée. “We will talk about this when you are feeling better, Maebella. You are getting too excited and that will exacerbate your condition.”

His patient having completed the assessment, Virikai’s concern diminished significantly. “You do have a concussion, Bella, but it is a mild one.” Ordinarily, he would send a patient home under supervision for the next trial or so, with instructions rest. It was the most effective treatment for mild to moderate head injuries. Maebella was different though.

“Lie down, Bella,” he whispered, guiding her backwards against the bed. “My shift ends in a couple of breaks. I want you to stay here an rest until I can take you home.” He could just send for a family slave to take her home, but there was no need, when there was a spare cot available and he would rather have her near. It wasn’t like any of his colleagues would deign to argue against a member of the aristocracy… and even less likely that one of them would dare to suggest he cared for the woman. At least not out loud.

Turning, he addressed an orderly, requesting a cold compress be brought with a light pain relief. Then, he returned his attention back to his future wife, “I mean it, Bella. I will check on you shortly.” His expression broken no argument: a warning that he would not hesitate to sedate her if he thought it necessary. But it barely lasted long enough to make the true impression he intended.

For a sliver of a moment, something in his expression broke. A vulnerability shone through the well-maintained façade that had likely never been seen on the aristocrat’s face. Two fingers lightly brushed along the girl’s hairline, before tracing down her cheek, “Do you have any idea what it felt like to see your name on my roster of patients?” he murmured quietly, his voice hoarse as if coloured by the same pains Maebella was experiencing. “Please don’t scare me again.” The fingers were pulled away before completing their journey down her face, as if the physician remembered himself. Just as quickly, her removed himself, leaving the invalid no time to respond to the momentary weakness he had been unable to stop displaying.

[Maebella]

When he explained that she needed to calm down or risk exacerbating her condition, the young woman's brows shot up, her gaze initially hard but softening to dance with mischief as she spoke.

"Too excited? Well, whose fault is that? Who's the one getting me excited?" she questioned. She'd set herself up for that but when she'd seen where it was heading, she'd chosen to roll with it. Perhaps it wasn't the time or the place to flirt but it wasn't as if he was being wholly serious here and she was going to take advantage of that. Plus, it was so easy to simply allow the words to roll off her tongue, to enjoy the simple pleasure it brought. Maebella didn't think that she could shock Virikai - he didn't really do emotions - but she was interested to see how he'd react to her words.

Still, overexcited or not, she was relieved that her condition wasn't too serious. Kai wouldn't lie to her about that so if he said it was mild then it was so; there was no reason to worry, especially as her fiancé would take care of her. Of course, she'd rather go home - off the Talius home had become home to her - and rest but perhaps he had a good reason to keep her here. If she was at home and there was no one to watch her - slaves didn't count - then there was a chance that she'd find some reason not to rest. At least here, she could be kept still and calm, the young man keeping an eye on her so she would behave.

"Yes, doctor. I'll be good," she murmured, slipping off her shoes with care before she settled onto the bed, making herself comfortable among the pillows. Did he expect her to sleep? Oddly enough, the student did feel a little sleepy. If she was left to her own devices in peace then she might actually be able to drift off and get the rest she apparently needed.

When he turned his attention back to her after speaking to the orderly, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her smile was a wan one, a touch exasperated. "No, I mean it. I'll be good. Really," the Eídisi woman assured him with a soft sigh. However, he didn't respond as she'd expected him to do. There was no stoicism, no growl of her name that suggested he was ill-pleased with her behaviour. What he did was entirely unpredictable: his face showed emotion. Maebella stared.

Emotion!

He'd done anger, cold and hard. He'd done exasperation and mild irritation. This was new. This was entirely new.

Maebella continued to stare, mouth slightly open, eyes roving over his features, drinking in this foreign thing that had so altered the man she thought she knew. By Yvithia, did he always wear a mask while true emotion hid underneath?

Her lips trembled, the girl blinking rapidly as he touched her. She didn't know how to communicate with him right now, couldn't process this wholly unexpected information that was so clearly staring her in the face, no room for misinterpretation.

"Kai..." His name came out as a mere whisper on her breath, confusion and empathy radiating from her as she gawked at him.

He'd told her that he cared about her, cared about what happened to her but it had always seemed detached. Possessive but still detached, largely unemotional. She had always felt like a mere object, not someone that he connected to emotionally. Yet here it was, the emotion she'd sought from him, the one thing she'd felt was missing from her relationship, that she'd desired but come to think was impossible.

"Oh Kai... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean- I wouldn't want to..."

The young woman had found her voice too late, the Talius scion hurrying from her presence, almost like a dog with its tail between its legs. It was an image that she'd never expected to associate with Virikai, not in a thousand arcs.

The scholar had sat up but she let herself fall back onto the pillows now, staring up at the ceiling, desperately trying to process those brief but monumental moments. Well, there was no way that she was going to go to sleep now.

If he'd just come back...
//

[Kasoria]

Review Rewards

Virikai

Points awarded: 15xp

Knowledge:
Intimidation: Idle Threats
Investigation: Asking Questions from Patients
Investigation: Knowing When Someone is Being Honest
Investigation: Requires Keen Observation
Investigation: Using All the Senses
Leadership: Delegating Tasks
Leadership: Managing a Medical Ward
Medicine: Signs and Symptoms of Head Injury
Medicine: Treatment for Head Injury

Non-Skill Knowledge:
Bella: Emotional Epiphany

Bella

Points awarded: 15xp

Knowledge:
Medicine: Signs and Symptoms of Head Injury
Medicine: Treatment for Head Injury
Menochoros: Learning to Defend Myself
Menochoros: Martial Art
Negotiation: Standing Your Ground
Rhetoric: Honesty is Policy
Rhetoric: Judging Emotions Based on Another’s Words
Rhetoric: Responding to Sarcastic Quips

Non-Skill Knowledge:
Virikai: Loves Me?

Injuries: Minor concussion, it's since been treated and you'll just have a splitting headache for 3-5 trials; don't try anything during that time that requires too much strain or movement, or the swelling will flare up again

Notes:
Awww, I like this! Not quite lovey-dovey, more a realistic look at how over-protectiveness is NOT Cool As, and can in fact cause more problems than it thinks it solves. But the ending was still... not a compromise, but a realization on both sides. You allowed both sides of the argument to be heard, and did so through great dialogue and characterization. Well done, both of you.

Your review request is here. Also, please indicate on your request thread that this has been reviewed by using the button below (just add my name at the end). Thanks!

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