Slim Pickings [Finished]

[Vyn]

When at last they arrived Seki let out a heavy sigh of relief, his head falling more heavily against Lior as he listened to the heavy knocker resound against the door. They were here at last and just in time too, Seki was sure his legs would give out if he went on much longer. His eyes fell closed, his breathing shifting a bit. Lack of food had made his head light before Rindal had pounced him, but now blood loss was compounding to make him increasingly dizzy. He needed to sit down something awful.

By the time the Doctor reached the door, the surrounding area had become blurry and muddled. Cursing himself silently, he kept his paws moving once Lior shifted; using him as a guidance through the thickening haze in his head. Despite his usual fears he was coming to the quick realization that he needed something to eat.

"Can I have some...j-juice?"

Such an odd request, but the sugars in the juice would help ease a bit of the dizziness.


It was, however, a comment that wouldn't be missed by the Corvistownian sparrow's current company. Her head lifted slolwy, brows knitting in thought. That voice... Abruptly her eyes widened and Ophelia sprung to her hooves, rushing out into the entry room where she could see the boy being brought into the house.

"Seki!?"

He wasn't supposed to be here, he was supposed to be away with Maxwell for the party. Why was he here and -- She pulled up short as she entered the room, her whole body tensing as her fur bristled. For such a generally laid-back person, Ophelia's rage was all but tangible. No one touched her little ones. Even if Seki was nearly fully grown!

"Why aren't you with you at the party with your mother and siblings, Seki? And oh, Ace, what happened to you?" Her gaze swept over to Lior, blinking in surprise and confusion. He was definitely familiar. He had... oh-so familiar eyes. Shaking off the surprise, she continued. "Thank you so much for bringing him here."

[The Jenn]

Lior's brows knit as he supported most of the other feline's weight. "Juice? Don't you want something more-"

"Juice will be fine," the doctor interjected, hurrying from the room to gather the necessary supplies. And the juice. With how ungodly skinny that boy looked, not to mention how much blood he was using, they would need more than juice... but maybe it would be a start while he tried to stop some of the bleeding and clean the wounds.

The Highland feline's head snapped up at the unexpected voice. Another Corvistowne? And apparently she knew Seki. Looking at their colors... they were rather similar. Was she a friend of his, or his family? Or was she family herself? "Of course," he murmured in automatic politeness. "Dr. Uther was the only man I could think of close to where I found him. I'm not overly familiar with the City and he is... bleeding rather a lot. I've only ever seen people bleed like this when someone makes the wounds deliberately. I think he was trying to run away from someone."

He looked over at the feline worriedly. He'd seen his papa inflict wounds like these, and far, far worse, but Seki was so skinny to begin with.

The doctor came back in bearing the necessary supplies, pausing just a moment to see Ophelia in the room. He caught the resemblance and looked between the two black and green individuals, eyebrows raising. "One of yours?" he asked brusquely as he again approached the feline and tried to get him to settle on the rug by the door. He wasn't going to chance moving him any more until he could see the extent of the injuries. "Will you be willing to help me? What's his previous medical history? Lord, what are you feeding this boy, Ophelia? He looks like a skeleton!" Juice was offered in a small bowl, held in front of Seki's lips.

[Vyn]

Seki shook his head. No no... Nothing more, nothing more... He parted his lips, almost said "I'm going to get fat" but held his tongue when he saw Ophelia's sharp serpentine eyes open him. He knew she knew, she'd known for a long time... He turned his gaze away, slumping back onto the rug and then leaned into lap at the juice. It was something at least, right?

"Thank you, Lior."

He wasn't looking at Ophelia as she spoke... He knew what he would see if he looked into her eyes. Disappointment, or was it worry. He was never sure, but it was one or the other. He shut his eyes more tightly, listening to the doctor's words. It wasn't his father's fault, it wasn't his mother's either. They'd tried so hard to take good care of him, Ophelia had even dedicated some of her research to vitamin and mineral concoctions in an attempt to supplement what he was losing from his anorexia.

Ophelia swallowed as she pulled her gaze off of Seki and onto the Dr. Uther. Her heart pounded a little in her chest and she knew it must've looked terrible on her behalf. It looked like she starved him but...but there was nothing she could do. She had tried, one could've seen that just by looking at the dynamic weight difference between Seki and his beloved shadow, Mocha.

"Of course I'll help. He's one of my boys." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to steady herself before reaching into the bag that had been slumped over her shoulder. And here she'd been coming to see about medicinal compounds for just this reason. "As far as I'm aware, he doesn't have any allergies and he doesn't have any previous medical history. We, Maxwell and I, have trouble keeping his weight up, though." What was she feeding him? Everything... What was he eating, that was the problem.

Dipping her hand into her bag she pulled out a variety of vials, thumbing one open and offering it to the captain.

"This should help with he pain and control the bleeding while we clean him up."

Ace, she might not have known Dr. Uther very well but she knew him well enough to know this wasn't going to be pleasant.

[The Jenn]

Uther took the vial from her hooved hand, inspecting it briefly in the light before nodding and pulling a small syringe out of his kit. A quick injection, a check to make sure the boy had begun to drink the juice, and he turned his attention to the various injuries lining the young man's sides, back, neck, everywhere he looked. Someone had laid into him, that much was obvious.

The man allowed a moment of silence while he assessed the injuries and grabbed what he would needed from his nearby supplies, Lior standing well to the side and out of the way. He wasn't sure if he should leave or stay, or even how to excuse himself from such a critical situation politely. He wished he knew what to do.

"Ophelia," the doctor said finally, voice tight with obvious effort. It was at a moderated tone, not yelling or whispering, but very controlled. "I realize that you and your assistant are very busy people. And that you have a large number of children to take care of. You're not the type of person I would peg for obvious willful neglect of a child, so I don't think that's the case. But if you think for a minute that a condition this far gone can be passed off as 'trouble keeping his weight up' then you're either ignorant or delusional. I highly doubt the former - you are an expert in your field. Perhaps it's the latter."

His hands were extremely gentle on torn flesh, dabbing and shifting and clearing away as much of the blood and sweat as he could from the wounds. In patches, he used a small pair of scissors to cut away fur and give the area more exposure. All the while, his eyes were on the young man in front of him and not the mutated deer assisting him.

"I'm going to throw a few terms at you. Let's see if they connect in your mind. Starvation. Reduced calorie intake. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Eloctrolyte disturbances. Loss of muscle mass. Decreased blood pressure. Lower body temperature. Abdominal pain. Chronic constipation. Slowed growth rate. Increased risk of bone fractures. Deteriorating heart musculature. Abnormal heart rhythms. Anemia. Low white blood cell count." As he continued, the words remained at the same volume but were nearly spit out by the end. "Normally when I see teenagers in this condition, I never get to see the parents because they don't care. I'm sure that you care. But dammit woman, if this has been going on for as long as it looks like, why didn't you take him to see an expert?!"

He finally turned to glare at you, neon fuchsia eyes almost snapping with anger.

[Vyn]

Ophelia sunk down as she took in Dr. Uther's words, her eyes closing once more. She kept them squeezed shut this time, her heart pounding in her chest. The truth to his words were utterly undeniable and they had been a long standing worry of her own. So why, why hadn't she taken him in like the doctor said? She was busy, yes, and she spent much of her time running between Maxwell and Silvanus and the children she shared between them. Ophelia had even taken the time to try and find supplements which might help his eating disorder.

"Oh Dr. Uther... I've tried, multiple times." She sighed heavily, her own voice even although it held a heaviness to it that was quite unlike Ophelia. "Maxwell and I both... But there's only so much we can force him to do! We've taken him to experts, given him supplements. The last doctor I spoke to suggested it was something more than body dismorphia-related anorexia... We don't know what more we can do."

It was a sensitive subject, especially since Ophelia could assume that his deteriorating weight was the reason he'd gotten a beating today. Rindal just loved tormenting him but Mocha typically kept the boy from receiving such a beating. The frustrated scientist wrung her hands gently, about to speak up once more before she heard Seki's light voice interrupt her thoughts.


Seki had been sitting there for some time, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as he listened to the doctor ripping into Ophelia. She didn't deserve it. Most parents didn't care, were delussioned to their kid's true illness... but his parents had fought him tooth and nail about his disorder.

"H-Hey... It's not their fault. R-Really. They really have done everything!" Abruptly he sat up and reached out, grasping the doctor's hand. Only to pause sharply upon realizing exactly what he'd done. He'd grabbed him. Swallowing slightly, the underfed boy trembled slightly and released him. "I... I just...didn't want their help..."

His mouth fell open slightly, his eyes wide as he held out his furred hand before himself and studied the long furred digits. Seki couldn't believe it. No one else had gained their bipedal form yet, not even Rindal. He had never imagined surpassing him in anything but an early death.

"I..."

[The Jenn]

This whole drama was so far beyond Lior and left him extremely confused. Obviously they were discussing Seki's frightfully thin condition, thinner than anyone he had ever seen before, and the Highlander took a few slow steps back towards the door. He wouldn't leave without excusing himself, but he would make it easier to go as soon as he could. Was this what happened when you helped strangers? Drama? He was glad to get the feline into expert care and evidently in the presence of family - exceedingly bizarrely mutated family, and the woman sort of almost looked like Severus back at the palace - but this whole thing now was completely unexpected.

Uther sighed at Ophelia, slightly mollified but still horribly disapproving. In his opinion, it was very much a parent's responsibility to do anything in their power, an opinion that wasn't necessarily shared by all of his colleagues but about which he felt quite strongly. The young man's protestations fell under the same category in his mind, until he noticed that his patient was no longer in animal form. He was... bipedal, all of a sudden, and looked just as startled as the doctor felt.

"He's under so much stress he's transformed," he sighed in frustration, encouraging the feline to settle back where he was, sitting carefully. "Let me finish bandaging you, young man. Just because you're a biped now, that doesn't mean your wounds miraculously healed. And Your Highness, I see you by the door. If you'd like to go now, I appreciate your bringing him where he could be helped. It was obviously quite out of your way. I invite you to use the medical shower in the other room, though, if you'd like to wash some of the blood off your fur. It's unsightly and I'd rather not explain to His Majesty and His Highness why their son was covered in blood should they catch wind of everything. Serafino and Pravus are enough to handle in the best of times."

[Vyn]

Seki and Ophelia were dumbfounded as they stared at each other. Ophelia looking looking so concerned it made Seki's heart ache and Seki looking utterly ashamed for making the usually strong woman feel such a way. He never meant to make his family feel like this, and yet it seemed like it was happening more and more. The youth hung his head, slumping back down as he was directed. Both he and Ophelia were listening in demured silence to Dr. Uther's words and both raised their heads in unison as a certain feline was mentioned.

It was Ophelia, however, which echoed the doctor's words. "Prauvs?"

Well, that solved a lot of questions for Ophelia now didn't it? That inexplicable feeling of having seen Lior somewhere was not completely ungrounded after all. There was no denying it now: he had Pravus's eyes. Ophelia couldn't dream of what to say, wasn't sure if she could form words around her tongue which had suddenly gone numb.

She couldn't help but think of the last time she saw Pravus. Just a passing glance during her mission for the Queen. For Serafino, in fact. He'd seemed so...so unlike himself. He hadn't even acknowledged her. Not a single word, not even a smile or a curt nod. Nothing.

Staring at Lior for a long moment, she finally managed to summon the words to her lips once more. "Pravus is your father, Lior? Well that does explain it: you've got his eyes. If you're going now, it was a pleasure meeting and thank you, thank you for bringing Seki here." She paused before shifting and smiling hopefully. "Could you send him a greeting from Ophelia?"


Seki remained silent all the while, blinking in an obvious state of shock. This was too much information at once. He couldn't help thinking, though, how ironic this all was. He was there the day his father had saved Pravus's life...and now his son had turned around and rescued her son. Wasn't that just karma in action for you?

[The Jenn]

Lior ducked his head in quiet embarrassment that the doctor had noticed his hesitant movements towards the door. He hadn't wanted them to be conspicuous. At least the man's thanks were sincere and his concern genuine. That made him easier to speak with, not knowing that every word he threw out was a thinly veiled falsehood.

Gold-tipped ears flicked forward in attentive politeness and he nodded his thanks at the offer of a shower. "I should probably clean myself before going back outside," he murmured in agreement. Normally he would just groom himself as a cat, but he didn't really want to taste another person's blood. The thought was much more Papa's style than his. Or even Father's.

Ophelia's words startled him and he looked at her more closely. He'd never heard Papa talk about someone like her before and judging from how unique she was, he probably would have remembered talk of a mutant Corvistowne deer-snake who very much reminded him of Severus in certain ways. "I'll be sure to pass on the message, ma'am. I'm glad that I was able to help." Both statements completely true. He inclined his head and moved into the other room for a quick shower.

[The Jenn]

Jenn and Vyb both receive 1 token each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!

[Vyn]

With the shock slowly wearing off, Seki allowed his shoulders to slump and his lean body to relax as much as possible in his new form. It was such a strange change for the battered boy, but he knew better than to try and experiment with it now. He'd have plenty of time to learn about his new body once the doctor was done tending to his wounds. Smiling gently to Lior, he dipped his head as much as his bindings would allow.

"Thank you again, Lior, for bringing me here... It was nice meeting you."

He silently hoped they would meet again, but he wouldn't push it nor get his hopes up. He was a meager 5 of Diamonds, nothing at all in comparison to a well-to-do King of Hearts.


Ophelia loomed nearby, protect as any mother was expected to be but silent as well. The mention of Pravus had her lost in her thoughts, distracted and slightly confused by what it implied. He was alright, at least, and he appeared to have achieved his goal of rising up in the Courts...but appeared to have become rather, well, close with the Queen.

Holding her tongue, she resisted asking further questions about Pravus and his lifestyle. To think, they'd been good friends at a time and now there was nothing at all between them. A shame, really.