Now We Get Our Hands Dirty

[Gennadiya Arishina]

Gennadiya Lyosha

Now We Get Our Hands Dirty
Vhalar 20 720

The gold cloak healer was curious. She originally checked the supplies herself but as other needs came on she had to reassign the job. So it was that she was surprised when upon seeing two requests for supplies that the handwriting was different. Though Delvin’s signature was on both.

Gennadiya made a point of personally reviewing the supplies request. This was for multiple reasons the first being there was a budget and excess wasn’t to be tolerated. Second was to adjust how much needed to be ordered in the future. Thirdly was to avoid left. Though on the last the young woman was well aware required much digging.

Her curiosity was more focused towards who the new helper was. Not all doctors belong to the order and they had volunteer nurses as well. Unfortunately she couldn’t immediately act upon her curiosity since she had been gone there were still some things that needed to be taken care of.

Once the paperwork side of her job was done. Genna made her way to the practicing part of medicine. It was the part she really liked and was good at. Once on the floor she looked around. She paused and looked around. She was wearing her gold cloak indicating her rank within the order. Under that she wore a blue blouse and a black skirt which was quickly covered by an apron to protect her clothing. Her hair was braided with a series of braids that then formed a large braid down her back.

Genna approached Delvin and asked who was helping him with inventory. He smiled and indicated to a young woman. Genna nodded and smiled as she approached the indicated young woman. Once she came close Genna smiled and said. “Hello. My name is Gennadiya.”

Human Female

25 Arc old
Platinum Blond Hair, Blue Eyes
Ymiden and Moseke Mark

Blouse and Skirts Today
Single braid

“Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.”
~ Jerry Cantrell

[Seira Shiryu]

It felt...odd being here without her twin. Actually, it felt odd being anywhere without Seri. But Seri had felt like she was really getting somewhere with her bow practice this morning, so she wanted to keep practicing for a while longer while Seira herself had had a really bad bow practice. She hadn't...quite...managed to injure herself, but after five very close calls, she had been more than ready to call it quits. Seri had promised to meet her here as soon as she was finished with practice, or if it ran longer than she was expecting, they would meet for dinner. Even so, it felt odd, and Seira was feeling more than a little unsettled.

Despite her unsettled feelings, there was work to be done, and Seira focused on what she was doing the best she could. Her first task of the trial was easy enough. She had been asked to sort through their supply of herbs and tell Devlin if they were low on or out of anything. He also wanted to know if any of the herbs they had were old enough that they needed to be replaced. In the latter case, she was supposed to pull those herbs and let him take a look at them. Since it was possible to use old herbs as long as you used more than you would use if the herbs weren't stale, the old dried herbs wouldn't simply be tossed out. But they would be used up faster, and if there were a lot of them, they would have to check the supply of herbs sooner than they would if there weren't a lot of stale herbs. Normally, Seira checked the supply once a seventrial, but if there were a lot of stale herbs, or if there was an emergency that caused them to need a lot of herbal remedies, she would have to check the supply again in three trials, not seven.

Checking the supply of herbs was a simple enough task. Doing the work helped Seira to settle her feelings, and she made a mental note of a few names of herbs that she wanted to research later. When she was done with her task, she filled out the appropriate form. They were completely out of willow bark, which wasn't really surprising. There was a very high demand for willow bark, and it was always one of the first things that they ran out of. Seira made a note about that, too. Maybe Devlin or his superior would be able to order larger supplies of that particular herb so they wouldn't run out as often.

They were low on five other herbs as well, and two more weren't low on supply exactly, but most of their stock of them was stale. Seira noted this down as well, and pulled the stale herbs out for Devlin to take a look at when he could. With that task done, Seira moved onto the next task; that of making some salves to replace the ones that had been used up yestertrial.

This too was a fairly simple task. Seira knew how to make herbal salves, and it was easy enough to follow a recipe like the ones that she had to work with. She didn't have to know what the herbs that the recipes called for did in order to make the remedies themselves, which was a good thing. But she wanted to learn about as many herbs as she could, so she wrote the names of several of the herbs she didn't know down so she could add them to the list of herbs to study in the near future. Picking herbs that she was actually using rather than random herbs out of the books she had access to made a lot of sense in her mind because she knew that there was actually a need for them. Rare herbs and ones that weren't used to treat the kinds of injuries and illnesses that they had here at Storm's Edge could wait until she had more time to learn about them.

Seira had just finished pouring a newly created salve into the jars that she had set aside for it to cool when a woman that she had seen a few times, but had never been introduced to approached her. She quickly sealed the jars, and looked up to see what she wanted. The woman introduced herself, and Seira relaxed a little.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Seira Shiryu." she said with a polite smile.

[Gennadiya Arishina]

Gennadiya Lyosha

Now We Get Our Hands Dirty
Vhalar 20 720

The sapphire eyed healer took in the activities of the young woman who was currently working on a salve. Gennadiya was sure that she had seen the young woman around, but not in any context where she could have talked to the young woman. The gold cloak healer had found that this past arch she had been constantly busy, between her time helping with the healing or her time locked away studying the corpses of these creatures. It was not excuse not to have taken the time to meet other people.

Genna didn’t see any indication of being a Knight, but she had seen a fair amount of volunteers who were just volunteers. Though the fact that Devlin trusted her did carry some weight with the woman. Her smile sincere as the introductions were being made. Genna did catch the last name but kept her any expression about it off of her face. Either the woman was unlucky to have the same name as the commander, or she was a close relative. The healer was sure either way she didn’t want that made a big deal.

“Genna, or Gennadiya please.” She said after being called ma’am. Genna didn’t actually care about being called ma’am or by her name, but liked to give people the choice. Especially people who worked in healing. She looked then openly around at the work space and nodded her head. “It looks like you have done a good job here.” She turned and looked into the young woman’s eyes directly, “I wanted to thank you for helping out with the inventory.” Genna laughed softly, “Many healers forget how important that is until we are out of stuff.” Still with that open smile she continued on. “I wanted to apologies for not making your acquaintance sooner. I try to be personal aware of everyone who helps in the surgery here, but it has been a bit hectic.” In Genna’s minds eye she saw Faith once again departing through the portal, not to return. She kept the memory off of her face though.

Standing there next to the work table was rather awkward, and Genna glanced around and saw a pile of fresh lines that had been laundered for the trial. She motioned to the basket and said. “If you do mind can you help me change the beds, and I would like to take the chance for you to get to know me better, and me to get to know you better.”

Human Female

25 Arc old
Platinum Blond Hair, Blue Eyes
Ymiden and Moseke Mark

Blouse and Skirts Today
Single braid

“Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.”
~ Jerry Cantrell

[Seira Shiryu]

The woman asked her to call her by her name, giving her the choices of Genna, which she guessed must be a nickname, or Gennadiya.

"Gennadiya, then." she said with a smile.

Seri was extremely picky about her nickname. To her twin, allowing someone to call her Seri was a sign of great trust and intimacy. Trust that neither Seira nor Seri gave lightly. So far, only she herself and their mother could call Seriel by her nickname without Seri taking great offense over it. That made Seira cautious about using nicknames in general unless specifically told to do so. This woman had given her the choice, so Seira didn't think she would mind either way. But...they had just met. Nicknames were something used between friends. And that was not the case now. If she and Gennadiya did become friends in the future, then Seira would revisit the issue and start calling her Genna.

"Thank you." she said a few trills later when the older woman complimented the salve she had made.

"I like making salves. It's something useful that I can do to help out, and I am learning a lot by making them.

When Gennadiya commented on the importance of taking inventory of the supplies, and how some of the healers tended to forget to do it, Seira smiled again.

"It's such a simple thing, really. I think that's why people forget. There is always something more important to do...right up until you realize that you've run out of something important that you need right at that trill. I like doing it, though. Like making salves, it is something that I can help with so that healers who know more than I do can save lives. And like with making salves, I can learn a lot from it. Each time I take inventory, I try to choose the names of several herbs I come across to learn about later. That way I know that I will be learning about herbs that are useful here rather than picking names of herbs out of a book and studying them at random. Doing that runs the risk that I will be learning about rare herbs that I am unlikely to ever come across. And while that is important too, I think it more important to learn as much as I can about herbs that we use here as quickly as I can first. My twin sister, Seriel feels the same way about that as I do."

When Gennadiya apologized for not introducing herself to her sooner, Seira thanked her, but told her that she more than understood.

"We're in the middle of a siege. Of course there are more important things for you to do." she said simply.

The woman's gold cloak told Seira that she was an important person in the Order of Adunih. It would be laughable to think that such a woman didn't have many things to take up her time. Important, critical things like saving lives. Seira didn't feel slighted at all that someone as important as Gennadiya was had not had the time to speak to her until now.

When Gennadiya asked her to help her make the beds, Seira was happy to agree.

"I'd love to." she said, both to helping the older woman make the beds, and to getting to know each other better.

[Gennadiya Arishina]

Gennadiya Lyosha

Now We Get Our Hands Dirty
Vhalar 20 720

The Lysorian woman listened and paid attention as the young woman talked with her. She did notice that she chose to use her full name, which was fine with the healer, the use of either didn’t bother her at all. Genna had always been her name as much as Gennadiya had been. Her family had called her Adiya since she was a child. That was the name she didn’t hand out.

Her blue eyes watched the young woman as she explained about her willingness to do check the stock of drugs. She also heard some things that weren’t being said. Instead of approaching one of the healers she went and looked it up herself. Genna would be the first person to cheer looking something up, and that spoke well of the young woman and her intelligence. She had new healers who had literally memorized everything there instructor new and didn’t even know you could look at a book. It was a fine balance. An instructor could pass on knowledge that no book could truly convey, learning from an instructor could also cut out the actual time needed to look something up. She nodded her head in recognition of what Seira said. “It is a good way to understand what is actually used.” She smiled. “I have read my share of herb books as well. One of the things about herbs you will discover if you haven’t already, is most have multiple uses, and you can use different herbs for the same effect. Working in a clinic you can see which ones other medics and healers find most effective, and frankly practical.”

Genna was very happy though when she agreed to help with making the beds. It was something no healer ever should be come to important for especially if they have some time. The came to the first bed and Genna began to strip the bedding off. “Bedding in a medical center should be changed ever trial, regardless of if it has been used.” Genna said as she put the clean looking sheets in the laundry basket. She paused as she pulled out a pair of clean sheets. “Sorry I made an assumption that you want to be a medic and didn’t actually ask.” She gave a shelf mocking grin. “Please tell me some more about yourself. I did catch that you have a twin.” Genna paused and then said “Seriel.” Genna motioned for Seria to take the other end of the sheet. “I had an older sister, Elizaveta. We would do most everything together since it was just us two sisters.” The young woman happily said about her dead sister. She brought the sheet over the bed and began to tightly tuck the corners of her half under the mattress so that they were create a smooth surface. She looked at Seira to confirm she didn’t need any help.

Human Female

25 Arc old
Platinum Blond Hair, Blue Eyes
Ymiden and Moseke Mark

Blouse and Skirts Today
Single braid

“Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.”
~ Jerry Cantrell

[Seira Shiryu]

Gennadiya mentioned that herbs often had multiple uses and that if you worked in a clinic you could see which herbs other medics and healers found most effective. Although she hadn't had the chance to learn about that many different herbs yet, she had noticed that herbs could be used to treat more than one thing.

"I haven't had the chance to learn about a lot of herbs yet, but I have seen that the ones I have learned about can be used for more than one thing. I didn't realize that applied to most herbs though. That does bring up a question that I've been wondering about for a while now. If you have three or more herbs that can be used to treat the same thing, how do you know which one to try first? I have one idea that might help you decide. I learned that lavender is safe to use on children. To me, that implies that there are some herbs that shouldn't be given to children. Am I right about that? If I am, that would help you choose which herb to use if your patient is a child. But what if your patient is an adult? Or if you have more than one herb that is safe for children to use and would treat the problem?" Seira asked, her eyes bright with interest.

The conversation progressed, and Gennadiya also said that the beds in a medical clinic should be changed every trial whether they had been used or not. Seira made a mental note of that as she helped the older woman to strip the bedding off of the first bed. Even as she did so, she wondered why it was necessary.

"May I ask why it is necessary? I can understand that the bedding should be changed every time it is used, but why change it each trial even if it hasn't been used?"

She continued to work, and Gennadiya asked her to tell her more about herself. Seira took a few bits to think of how to respond to the question.

"Well, to start, I would like to work in a clinic, I think. I enjoy helping people. But I am not sure that working in a clinic is all that I want to do. Seriel and I have wanted to find a way to help the Lightning Knights for arcs now. That is something that we both feel very strongly about, and we would like to help them in any way that we can, whether it is as healers, or finding ways to use herbs as a weapon the Knights to use to stop a fight before it starts because their enemy is too busy scratching or sneezing to fight, or anything else we might be able to do." Seira said as she took her side of the sheet.

When Gennadiya mentioned her older sister, Seira smiled softly.

"Seriel and I do everything together too. I can't even begin to imagine my life without her. Nor do I want to try. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Seriel." she said simply.

Seira watched the older woman tuck the corners of the sheet under the bed before starting to do so herself on her side of the bed. She wanted to be certain that she was doing it correctly. It was a fairly easy task to do, and Seira was happy to see that her end of the bed was as smooth as Gennadiya's was.

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Seira

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Caregiving: sheets should be changed every trial in a medical center whether they have been used or not
Caregiving: when making beds in a medical center, they should be nice and smooth
Caregiving: how to tuck the corners in tightly to make a smooth surface when making beds

Non Skill Knowledge

Gennadiya: is a gold cloaked member of the Order of Adunih
Gennadiya: had an older sister named Elizaveta
Gennadiya: was close to her older sister

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: Well, this was a nice break from the constant war going around at the period this thread was occurring within. I enjoyed the scene, and you both wrote it pretty well, I had no trouble following the action and dialogue as you went from sorting herbs, to making beds in the infirmary.

Gennadiya is a really attentive and thoughtful healer. I think I agree with her that Seira is a smart girl, with a good balance between looking things up and knowing them. Half of knowing is knowing where to look, afterall.

Seira, I appreciate that you described your pc's absence from her twin and the discomfort she felt as a result of that. I thought it was interesting that Seriel has a different potential interest from Seira, in pursuing her archery. I wonder if they'll end up doing more things apart from each other? It might be a good change of pace to see Seira find her own element in the world, without being around Seri.

That said, I do have a few notes below about the knowledge I withheld.



A note on the knowledge claims you made... Please from now on don't annotate the knowledge you're claiming from a thread in the review request. Please do trust that reviewers will be able to tell from their reading of the thread if they are appropriate to be awarded. That said, I have some specific feedback on the knowledge you claimed:

Off Topic

Medicine; Herbs: most herbs have multiple uses

This one is obviously a piece of knowledge that Seira already has. having taken a glance through her current knowledges, there are seemingly no end to the amount of herb knowledge and facts about herbs. Therefore, I presume she already knows that most herbs have multiple uses.

Off Topic

Medicine; Herbs: you can use different herbs to get the same effect

I'm pretty sure she knows this as well.

As for the numbered knowledge, please never annotate them. It was fairly pointless to do so, as you could've just as easily justify them by filling them in with what your pc learned, instead of asking for numbered. The fact that you didn't makes me presume that your pc didn't learn anything new. Indeed, a quick look through your medicine knowledges shows that you have very lengthy pieces of knowledge there about salves. Two of them. Please consider what your character is learning that might be new, before requesting more knowledge.

Off Topic

Research: by observing other healers you can learn which herbs are the most effective, and practical

My first thought here is that while empirical research (research by observation) is a thing that is actually detailed in the skill write-up, the knowledge doesn't make a whole lot of sense in itself, as a complete statement in the context of the thread. You could easily have replaced the word 'herbs' with 'methods' and it would make so much more sense.

So for all these reasons, I'm withholding the knowledges I mentioned, but am awarding you the Caregiving knowledges, as those are appropriate in my opinion.

If you have any questions or concerns about this review, please send them along to the PSF.