[FIN] And All is Mended [Callypso]

[Lucca]

A Tulgey resident running down the street in the early morning generally attracted attention, even in Capital City. If the sight of that pale, almost ghostly form with gleaming eyes wasn't enough to do it, the strange, ethereal echoing of hooves (not generally a sound hooves make over cobblestones and especially not over wet cobblestones) would most certainly draw the attention of what few Cards were actually about at this hour. What would lead them to continue staring even after that was the blood that dripped steadily from somewhere on the Card's neck, painting his white fur and the street beneath him in red.

The Goat certainly seemed to be going somewhere in a hurry, but his running slowed as something caught his eye about one of the buildings he passed. Walking stiffly up to the door, he lifted a hoof and knocked on it soundly, twice, and all the time wearing the calmest expression possible, as if he barely felt the pain of his obvious injury, though the black Club marking on his front was at odds with that assumption.

In truth, he was just good at hiding emotion and pain behind a veil of stoicism. It was the way he survived. Show no weakness.

Ironic, he thought, that it wasn't on his job as a police officer that he'd gotten injured...but on one of the rare occasions he'd decided to try and explore the city he now called home. And everyone claimed the Wood was so dangerous...

Pink eyes studied the door carefully, hoping that he was right, and that someone who could offer help would open the door.

((ooc: I hope this is okay, haha. XD))

[Callypso]

((It's fine, though I hope I interpreted it right??? If not, PM me so we can do some editing. ^_^))



Darkness slowly ebbed away as the first rays of light filtered through the bedroom window. It was still early for the average Card to rise, but Iso lay awake staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. It had been another night fraught with bloody nightmares of her recently deceased brother, Phantasus and the sympathy-laden looks of her long-since-passed grandfather, Tonka. She had come close to overdosing last night in an attempt to evade the ceaseless demons in her mind, leaving her body uncomfortably achy. Each night that passed in Capital City had brought increased intensity to her disturbing nocturnal visions. Before she moved into Phan’s combined home and lab, she had rarely been visited by dreams. Now they were coming every night and promised hours of tortured emotional pain instead of well-deserved rest. Her scientific intellect had as of yet been able to pinpoint the exact source of her nightmares, though she attempted to rationalize that her recent move, increased stress levels accompanied with her inability to complete the renovations to her lab were the most likely culprits. They had to be. It was far too uncomfortable to entertain anything else.

The ferret’s thoughts were interrupted with a solid knock emanating from the front of the rickety house. She slowly closed her eyes and held them shut for a moment before reopening them and slowly turning her head to check the clock hanging on the wall. It was much too early for a visitor.

Suits… the word accompanied a slow exhalation of her breath.

Iso sat up and clutched her head. Her skull ached horribly, souring her mood considerably. As if fatigue wasn’t enough. She groped tiredly for a bottle resting on her nightstand and downed a few of the contents within. The knocking sounded again and she muttered darkly to herself.

Suits. I’m coming, I’m coming.[/i]

She made her way across the rough wooden floor (she still hadn’t found a carpenter to her liking), undid the deadbolt and slowly opened the front door just a few inches. The grim face that met hers was disconcerting- her blood shot eyes blinked once as her brows furrowed slightly. Iso’s reddened gaze followed the dark pinkish trail to the blood oozing freely from somewhere on the albino goat’s neck. He had clearly taken a risk to get here; her quarters were located deep in the outskirts of the Outer Bazaar and he was sure to have turned heads (if there were anyone out at this hour) in his condition. Though the young doctor was unsure of how this visitor had discovered her existence, her medical training immediately kicked in-

Come in.

Without anything further she swung the door wide open to admit the injured man.

[Lucca]

The Goat waited, tense, knocking a second time when he got no answer the first, and would have repeated the action a third if he hadn't heard shuffling from inside the house. His ears panned forward, stare intent as the door was finally opened. To some, the sight of the blood-shot Corvie with syringes sticking out of various places on her body may have been a bit unsettling, but for the Goat who only wanted a doctor that wouldn't ask too many questions...his eyes closed, briefly, in the only expression of relief he would allow.

"Thank you," he said stiffly, the words thickly accented in a way that clearly bespoke of Common not being this Card's native language. He entered the house, hooves still echoing oddly, even on the wooden floor, though more quietly now that he wasn't running.

"You're a doctor," he said then, and it wasn't a question. "It's from a rock." Specifically, one left at a construction site in a very unfortunate spot that unsuspecting visitors may trip right into when rudely barreled into by a worker rushing around with his hard hat pulled too low. Some Cards caused him harm intentionally...others were just clumsy. It was the way of things and it couldn't bother Aberforth too much, but he knew he needed someone to take a look at the resulting cut. Being on his neck, he suspected it looked rather worse than it was, though he certainly wasn't a doctor.

[Callypso]

((FYI- Iso doesn’t usually have syringes hanging out all over her- it’s just the image as it was when I got the SD, lol… sorry if that’s confusing))

The door shut with a loud “click” as Iso redid the deadbolt. Though it was still early and she doubted whether anyone saw the bleeding Card, it didn’t sit well in her mind that (depending on how he received the injury) she could have other unwanted visitors.

A brisk nod served as a minimal response to the goat’s gratitude as she silently noted to herself his probable realm, the accent and the odd echoing of his hooves. He certainly was an interesting specimen.

A rock? I see...

She wrinkled her nose at his assertion of her profession and explanation of the injury. That didn’t seem to be quite the whole story, though Iso understood if the gentleman didn’t wish to disclose the entirety of his story. She wasn’t one to pry and appreciated someone else’s desire to keep to themselves. More often than not people asked too many questions, spoke more than was necessary and generally engaged in social trivialities that, in her eyes, were a complete waste of time.

She gestured for the man to follow her and walked a short distance from the front corridor, turned left at an adjacent hallway and down a staircase to her lab.

The lab was as of yet incomplete- Iso had not yet found an electrician (by this time she was sure she’d have to travel to Corvistowne to find someone appropriate) and had compensated for the single light bulb in the center of the ceiling with a variety of mismatched lamps scattered throughout the workspace. A lamp or two occasionally flickered inconsistently.

By this time Iso had cleared most of the debris from the mess that had been her brother’s laboratory: bookshelves and cabinets hugged every wall and three large worktables (situated behind each other like a school room) littered with various beakers and implements took residence in the center of lab. The doctor gestured towards a seat (if he wanted it) near a desk in the leftmost corner of the room (which had on it a very large, very bright lamp).

I don’t take many patients. I research, offered the young doctor as explanation for lack of proper medical chair and uncomfortable surroundings. It had been a while since she had treated someone else, but once she did a procedure correctly she rarely forgot the process- it was a combination of kinesthetic learning and emotional pride that came with a successful procedure (though she would never admit that). The ferret began collecting appropriate tools for the job while the albino waited.

Are you allergic to anything?

[Lucca]

((ahhh, okay lol, sorry. XD))

Aberforth's ears flicked at the noise of the lock clicking into place, inwardly very relieved. He had definitely come to the right place, even if it did look a bit...unfinished. And just as he'd thought, the Corvie didn't seem too keen on asking endless amounts of questions, which the Goat appreciated. It wasn't that he really had any big secrets he needed to keep, he was just naturally a private person...and, though he'd never see it this way, extremely paranoid. Besides which, he had neither the inclination nor the capacity to be social or 'nice' or whatever else it was most people seemed to expect of him in situations like this.

Doctors, he didn't trust anymore than he trusted anyone else, which was to say only as far as he knew they were getting something out of this. He had, of course, brought the appropriate amount of money to pay this Corvie for her services. And since it was only a minor injury, he would be able to keep a close eye on what she was doing.

"I won't keep you from your research long," he promised, taking the seat a bit awkwardly. It was always harder to situate yourself on such things when you had hooves. Pink eyes roved over the entire room, taking everything in, and if he thought anything ill of the state of the room, he didn't show it.

"Just hazelnuts," the Goat answered, and then hesitated. Was it proper to exchange names for something like a simple doctor's visit? He'd prefer not to, of course, but this Corvie was actually showing herself to be refreshingly considerate of his privacy and not chattering at him incessantly or any number of other annoying things, so perhaps he could try and be...polite? "In case you would like to know the name of your patient, it's Aberforth," he said somewhat awkwardly, and still in the same toneless voice.

[Callypso]

Once all the proper implements had been gathered (gauze, antiseptic;etc) the doctor returned to her patient’s side. She had watched him taking in the surroundings while she gathered her equipment and wrinkled her nose again. The laboratory was less than satisfactory, but it would have to do while she continued her search for professionals to assist her with the electrical work and flooring. Better to leave it unfinished than do a job haphazardly and rushed. It saved time in the long run, though in this case it was a tad reminiscent of “mad scientist”.

A small, wry smile twisted the corner of lips at the Club’s mentioned allergies. Patients always took the question literally when it actually referred to medication or other physician’s materials. She set a stool next to the goat’s seat and gingerly moved some of us his fur away from the cut to better look at the damage. His introduction surprised her, though the only evidence was rapid eye blinking (and her face was hovering over his neck by this point). The 8 of Spades had been sure she would have to pry the name out of him.

Yes. It’s protocol to keep a patients log. She paused and decided that she accepted the man’s company. “Liked” wouldn’t have been the right word- it was rare for her to self-disclose or seek enough information from others to properly get to know them. He also respected the value of her time. Respect. That was it. She and this Card seemed to have a mutual respect for quiet and a disregard for social niceties. It was refreshing not to have to explain herself or her attitude- almost a relief, really.

Iaso Price. She paused again. Iso, if you prefer.

Another cursory glance at his wound completed her preliminary inspection and she stepped down from the stool to address her patient.

There’s a minor laceration that will require a few stitches. With your permission I’ll clean the wound, administer a numbing agent and sew it up.

[Lucca]

Aberforth should have known that allergies wouldn't have referred to which foods he couldn't eat, but the fact of the matter was that he avoided doctors except when he had no choice, and he was also rather distracted taking in whatever he could about both his surroundings and the woman who would be helping him. His ears twitched back, but his expression remained perfectly blank as he nodded in response to her name. Good. Now if he ever got injured again, he would look her up. Assuming, of course, she could take time from her research. He didn't want to come between a Corvie and her work.

He sat so still, he might have been a statue as Iso examined his wound. He was unused to allowing other Cards this physically close to him, but it was, after all, his choice to be here, and if she did something he didn't like...well, those horns of his weren't just for show. He blinked back at her, taking in her words as he considered how long this was going to take. Not all day, not when she agreed with him that it was minor. That was good, as Aberforth knew he had work at the station to attend to later, and he wanted this whole mess over with by then.

"Whenever you are ready to begin, so am I," he assured her gruffly, resisting the urge to paw at his wound with a hoof. He knew that wouldn't help it get better any faster, but the blood was drying a bit around the cut and sticking in the fur, and it was dreadfully itchy.

[Callypso]

The goat’s ability to sit still was very much appreciated by Iso. His attention to their surroundings was admirable as well. Usually, patients twitched or became sweaty and nervously chattered because they were uncomfortable; they never took stock of where they were or much about the person curing them. She could respect a patient’s need to know their diagnosis or inquiries into preventative care, but when they started blathering on and on and on because they suddenly had to talk about every little thing that could possibly be wrong with their health- well, suffice it to say that Aberforth was a Card after her own heart.

I’m going to administer the numbing agent now. You may feel pressure.

The doctor wet a pad of guaze with an iodine mixture and cleaned a small area near the wound. Quickly, she prepared a hypodermic needle (and estimated the dose based on her patient’s size) and gently inserted into the Card’s neck. Hopefully the anesthesia would merely numb the surrounding tissues and not completely knock the Tulgey out- it was never certain how individuals would react to the medication.

A few minutes later the gash had been cleaned of all the caked blood and any other foreign material that had made its way into the mess. The wound was oozing only slightly at this point but was still managing to leach into the fur- this would make it difficult for her to sew cleanly. Patients could be very vain about their appearances, but she had a feeling this particular Club wouldn’t mind as long as she completed her task as neatly and quickly as possible.

I may have to trim some coat around the laceration site- do you object?

[Lucca]

It took an effort of will, but Aberforth remained so still he might have been a creepy statue in some eccentric's garden. He didn't want to interrupt what, he thought, must be a rather delicate process. After all, that might lead to infections or other nasty things that would mean he'd have to visit -more- doctors and be prodded at by -more- Cards with who knew what...no, better to do everything he could to make sure it went right the first time so he could get back to spending his time the way he liked it--alone or working. It wasn't a life many Cards could understand, but it was his. He couldn't say it really made him...'happy', but then, nothing really had. Not in many years. Useless emotion, anyway...it only made other Cards do foolish things like actually start to trust the Cards who gave them those feelings.

"Understood," he replied, because he didn't want to nod his acknowledgement and upset her work. More sitting still...it could be worse. At least she wasn't feeling the need to make small talk or, worse, ask annoying questions that had nothing whatsoever to do with her ability to treat him.

He snorted at the next question, possibly the first show of true emotion she'd seen from him. "It will grow back," he said, in the same tone as he always spoke. He was very unconcerned. Vanity, after all, was for Cards who actually cared what others thought of them.

[Callypso]

This visit was going rather well. Although a part of her was still slightly irritated from being woken so early under somewhat uncertain circumstances, the Corvie couldn’t have asked for a better patient. Another small, wry smile twisted her lips as the Card snorted at her question. Her assumptions were thankfully correct regarding his outlook on cosmetics. In the past she had taken some unorthodox approaches to dealing with patients throwing tantrums over minor exterior alterations. A quick slip of the needle and they were usually out. Sure, it was unethical, but her procedures generally went smoothly after that and her patients tended to heal very nicely under her care. She didn’t hear many objections upon inspection of her clean and meticulous work.

She procured some shears and neatly trimmed the fur around the wound. Though he clearly wasn’t concerned about superficialities, she removed only enough fur as was necessary for her to stitch the laceration. A quick feel around the site allowed her to test the effects of the anesthetic – when no protests escaped his lips she deemed him ready for the procedure. She placed a surgical mask over her mouth and addressed the goat.

I’ll begin stitching now.