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RP: Bahram Wing [Bahram Wing Prelude] An Officer and a Doctor

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Exhack

Inactive Member
Fort Jarizas, Mazerin
Infirmary A
Yetsava 12, 935
11:45 Commonwealth Standard Time


Rubbing his eyes and almost entirely blind without his glasses, Serhan stepped into the strangely unsterilized conditions of Fort Jarizas' main infirmary. While previous cultures might have practiced almost bizarre tendencies to kill all microbiological life in their medical facilities, the Iromakuanhe had long since developed the means to make such contaminants moot and those sterile conditions unnecessary. The infirmary was very much a lively place, clean to the eye but full of life, including plants, various engineered lifeforms and obviously, microbes. It didn't smell very sterile either, instead suiting the olfactory preferences of whoever was on staff.

The wing commander sighed. "Anyone on duty?"

A be-horned head popped up from behind a rather well cared for Salcra Bush along one of the tables. She had a spray bottle in hand, and looked to have been caring for the plant, spraying the leaves, and watering the soil. The female wore her silvery gray hair in a all bet curious hairstyle, a mixture of two, more or less one of which included a small braid which had small bells entwined about it along a golden wire. Her eyes were of an amber hue, her skin, dusky, her features a mish-mash of several different ethnic groupings of the Iromakuanhe culture, denoting a mixed-breed.

"I am." Her voice was feminine, but carried a relaxed, almost lazy tone to it. She put the bottle down, her uniform being obscured by the universal symbol of her craft, the white lab-coat. "What seems to be the pro-", She squinted at the man, seeing what appeared to be difficulty with his eyes outright. Squints, eye popping, and unfocused eyes were all a dead giveaway. "Blem." The female finished as she moved forward, standing in front of him now, staring right into his peepers.

As she examined his eyes, Serhan fished a pair of orange glasses from his pocket, with one lens missing and the other burned through, the rim of it still fitting nicely in the rather immaculate frame. "These..." He said blankly, making a small fake cough. "...were broken during weapons check with some interns from the academies." Remarkably, his eyes were unharmed, but what appeared to be half of a metal screw was embedded on the upper rim of his left eyesocket, and judging on the blood, not on purpose.

The woman automatically reached for the glasses, taking them, but keeping her eyes on him as she pocketed them. Though her gaze fluttered to the injury along his left eyesocket. "You realize," She began, then pointed to where the part of a metal screw was embedded in his eyesocket. "You have part of a screw stuck in there." She finished, fishing out a simple bit of gauze from her pocket. She dabbed at where the blood trickled, took his hand and placed it upon the gauze. "Hold it there, lightly, and follow me." She said, and began walking towards what could only be an examination area, granted as she walked several animals began to do everything from making fluted whistles, to hoots, barks, and yelps.

She closed the curtain to where they were, and they began to quiet themselves. "So then, whom do I have the pleasure of addressing, and mending?" She asked as she waited for him to seat himself where she indicated as the doctor began to look for what she needed.

"Marranr Serhan Nejem, Bahram Wing. You're not my subordinate, so don't bother saluting me." Serhan replied blankly, complying quietly as she rummaged for whatever it was she was going to use on him. His first time in the base's infirmary, the frame officer felt uneasy, and without his glasses on, his expression betrayed that all too readily.

"Well then I won't." She said before taking his hand in her smaller, cooler one and giving it a soft shake before the rummaging continued. "Lanbalri Amari Al-Sumed." Amari introduced herself before she gave his shoulder a light, comforting squeeze. "Don't worry. Nothing in here will bite you, they're all caged." Wither or not she was joking was left for him to decide. "Now then, Serhan." She said, using his first name. "From what I can see, you have part of a metal screw embedded in the upper firm of your left eye socket. Don't worry, you'll be fine, but I must scan the region to see how far it is lodged in."

She was leaning on the counter, looking at him, her hands upon the counter as well a moment to give him time to absorb this before continuing. "I'll be applying a very mild painkiller to the region, it'll merely numb it, and help alleviate any discomfort you're feeling. Plus, don't worry, it smells better then the infirmary." She said with her seemingly relaxed, casual ease. Soon Serhan would feel her dab a bit of ointment upon the area surrounding the injury from a container she'd brought out, it did indeed smell better, but hand a somewhat sharp, menthol/minty undertone. She was quite careful, and gentle as she applied it. "How's that?" She asked him as she closed the container and immediately went for a small, hand-held medical scanner.

"Hmm... effective. I don't seem to be feeling much of anything in that part of my face." Serhan replied, his narrowed green eyes squinting a little as the ointment was applied. Whatever unease he had felt before was gone, as he had wholehearted resigned himself to his condition and decided to allow things to take their course. The Physician seemed calm and patiently assertive, without being devoid of feeling, something he could almost admire. Years covering his eyes made his actual expressions much more evident, and he seemed to be looking a little too intently, for too long.

Scans would reveal that the screw had penetrated less than two millimeters into the flesh of his face, without so much as touching the bone. It had, however, hit on a facial nerve, and might cause more permanent damage if scar tissue was allowed to form.

Amari read the readout, and placed the scanner down. "The pain medication is working then... But, it would seem the screw, while it did not penetrate your skull, hit one of your facial nerves. To decrease the chance of scar tissue formation I will be injecting you with a dose of Prajna to your jugular vein in your neck. Along with something to decrease the chance of the side-effects... I am sure you would not like to have them, nor would I." She explained as she caught his look, and blinked with a small smile on her face. "Now then, I am going to recline the chair, and you will have to hold very still while I extract the screw." Amari said as she did as she had said until he was laid level, she elevated the chair to a more manageable height, bending over him to examine the area once more before taking one of the tools, a very fine pair of tweezers, looking them over, and then donning an eye piece that allowed her to adjust her view.

"Anyone tell you, you have pretty green eyes?" She asked before moving forward with a steady, practiced hand. "Now, hold very still..." The Physician zoomed in the eye piece, finding the spot, and grabbed one simple injector, pressing it to the top of his left hand. "The medication that will reduce the chance of the side-effects. It isn't guaranteed to work, but it should help. Now, I'm going to inject the Prajna, and I will have to work quickly. Otherwise scar tissue will form, and you'll suffer permanent damage." She didn't give him a chance to respond as he would soon feel the pressure at the side of his neck, and the distinct hiss as the injector did its job. Soon the Prajna was in his system, and she had taken the tweezers, along with a small...what she called a 'poker' to pull one part of the wound open a little more, careful not to aggravate the wound. Soon she moved with mechanical precision, her tiny tweezers slowly entering the wound, the eye piece adjusting as she continued. She found the screw, her tweezers slowly, carefully cupping it between their grasp as she gently began to pull it out, bit by bit. It was a slow process, and with the Prajna in his system, she had naught the time to waste.

Her breathing was steady, rhythmic, as it began to pull free of the Marranr's flesh.

Serhan's face was completely relaxed, without so much as a single unnecessary movement as Amari retrieved the screw fragment from his eye. Even with the ointment numbing the area, the sharp pain of the screw jabbing at his nerves and the familiar tingle of Prajna were enough to make the experienced unpleasant, but he didn't particularly care. If he complained or winced at the pain, he would simply make things more difficult for the both of them, something that he couldn't allow, and he would have preferred it if the young physician would have an easy time tending to him. One of the last things he wanted was to be considered a troublesome patient by the medical staff. "How much of this pain are you 'borrowing' from me, Amari Al-Sumed?"

"Would you really like to know, or just a comforting answer?" Amari asked as she continued to work. In truth, it was a lot. The urge to wince was being stomped on by sheer willpower as she worked. "And please, call me Amari, I used your first name after all, so, fair is fair is it not?" She asked as she continued to work. "I think whom ever did this may need to be reminded of weapons safety and handling procedure too.. This sort of accident didn't occur during my training." The doctor said, making light conversation to help get both their minds off the pain. More blood trickled down from the wound as the screw was nearly clear.

"I'm a wing commander, Amari. I can't be allowed to know anything short than the unpleasant truth." Serhan said almost wistfully, his large, but narrowed eyes opening a little. His composure seemed like a water-fat reed in anchored firmly in the silt, as he could bend and twist with the wind, but never break or be carried away. "However, you are free to do as you please. I do not exert my authority on people of trades I have not mastered."

The faint 'Tinkle' of the screw landing in a metal pan, and the distinct 'click' of a Buoslik container being opened soon accompanied her next words. "Being a Wing Commander isn't all about the un-pleasantries." She said as she took one of the small, wiggling worms out. "Besides, since you're under my care, I can exert my authority over you, you know." She tapped his nose softly, just once with her free hand. "Being a Wing Commander is about being the central pillar of strength of the squadron, of being the parent, the protector,teacher, and one who disciplines. You, Serhan, are there for them, as much as they are for you. Something you likely already know, and likely don't wish to hear from me, I know." She said as she applied the wiggling worm to the wound, and let it go about its task.

"Have you ever stopped, and looked at trees swaying in the breeze, or storms? Some sway with the currents of the wind and howling storms accepting yet not toppling, while others break." She closed the Buoslik container then. "But. As a reward for being a very good patient, I will tell you. It felt like my mind was afire in unbearable pain." Amari patted him on the shoulder, smiled, and returned the chair to a seated position. The worm had finally formed a seal on his wound. The Doctor pulled his glasses out, and examined them. "Do you have another set here, or do I need to request another for you?"

"Unfortunately, I do not have an extra pair. My prescription is on file, and there should be replacements lenses in medical storage, however." Serhan said calmly, peering at the vague blur that had been treating him thus far. For all he knew she might have very well been a comely young woman, but he wouldn't have the time for that. She had been somewhere she shouldn't have, and he wished to make sure that she wouldn't think on it for too long. "What you felt wasn't the pain from the wound and... I would ask that you don't speak of it, nor dwell on it for too long."

"Pain," Amari began as she searched his files on a nearby console. Indeed...his prescription was there...and by the Dreamers it was a powerful one to boot... He had to be nearly blind! "Is a reminder." She finished as she walked away from him, and into the storage area. Fortunately, they could still hear each other. "What that reminder is...is what we make of it." The doctor began sorting through some of the cases, looking for the lenses...which one had it been...she'd only glanced. "Simply put, we put ourselves through it. But here is the question. Why do we do so, and to what end?"

"Pain is only as bad as we make it out to be, simple as that. Sway with it, and wounds will heal, stand firm, well, the tree breaks doesn't it?" She left it at that. "But. My lips, are sealed, Serhan. Doctor, Patient confidentiality, no?" The woman said as she read the case in front of her, finding the lenses, and began the processes of affixing them into the frame, as well as removing the single, damaged one.

"In the conflict nine years ago, I swayed with the winds, and I still carry the wounds of that era." Serhan said, nodding to the patch of color in his field of vision that seemed to be moving around and displacing the others. Had he been able to see, he would have been more intently focusing on Amari, but what he was able to see was not different enough from the surrounding blur to warrant his attention. Still, even if she was just a patch of light and color that was filling his ears with sound, the fact that she spoke in such a genuine manner kept Serhan at ease, and had somehow coaxed some conversation out of the man. "There was a time when Bherstim was widely distributed among infantry and runners to limit aggression in the face of aggravation during civil conflicts. I imagine you know some of the long term effects, correct?"

"Anxiety, insomnia, depression, recurring nightmares." Amari fired off one after another. "Personally, I don't think one needs drugs to limit their aggression. What you can do with a drug like that, can be done on your own. No offense intended of course. But, Bherstim always seemed a crutch more then a gain. I've seen what it can do to people. I've treated several cases, my father, more so a simple, and ancient quote is all I will say on the subject. 'Mind over Matter.' Bherstim, the matter." The doctor finally had both lenses in, and went about checking them now, making sure they were snugly in place. Satisfied, she closed the door to the storage area, returning to his side.

"You were in luck, I found the spare lenses...but now I must have more sent in. That was the last set." She took his hand, and placed them in it before turning about, and began to properly sanitize the tools. "Nightmares are just the same as pain you know. So what I say applies to them as well, but, it is more difficult and requires the person to wish, and will for it to end."

"I lived through that nightmare all those years ago. It is not something I regret, but I have always felt that as I killed my own heart during the time I did not need one, I was taking something away that I would never have again." Serhan replied, slipping the glasses on. His vision felt vividly, as the lenses were free of scratches and dust unlike his previous pair, and likely because he had gone so long without being able to see, in perspective. The frame officer looked about the infirmary, hoping to get a better and more memorable look than the colorful mush from before.

"..." A more hot-blooded man might have just stood there, mouth agape, or blushed like a floatcrab's stomach baking in the sun, but Serhan simply smiled. Not a bright or exaggerated grimace like that of a playful child or malign killer, but that of a tired young man who had been pleasantly surprised. The Physician was rather beautiful, and had he been discussing something more pleasant than his own neurosis, he might have taken the opportunity to ask her out to dinner, to watch some find Ivuori opera, or to a Sky Sailing outing. He could use the company, and his daughter needed a mother.

Unfortunately, he had began playing into her talk of nightmares, and said something quite depressing. Ivuori courtship customs prevented him from suddenly shifting the subject in an inappropriate manner, so he would have to be subtle and bring a more enjoyable topic out. "Do you have a mild painkiller I can take? I had to cross a few hallways while forcing my eyes to focus, and it was quite a strain."

Amari looked over her shoulder at him, the braid of her's tinkling due to the bells interwoven within it. "You know, Serhan, you're a bit of a poet with words, despite them being a sad tale." She said wearing a small smile, as she went back to looking for something to ease his pain. "I will have to order more medical supplies...my superior it would seem neglected to do so. But, I am sure I can find something to help." The doctor announced as she began examining the labels on a pair of bottles, both, would've knocked Serhan off his feet and into a dazed stupor. The other she found was more or less an anesthetic, Ah! she thought upon finding something in the back. Thankfully, it had not expired yet. Honestly...it was bad enough she had yet to settle into her apartment, let alone clean up after the doctor before her, and her superior.

She found an injector, and measured out a small enough dose. The pain medication was already mild, but, she wished to not inhibit the man anymore then was needed for him to recover properly. "This will help, I forewent finding anything in the form of oral medication as this will well, 'Help you faster.' " Amari stated as she turned around, giving Serhan a measuring gaze for a moment; then taking his hand and pressed the injector to it. He would feel a slight pressure as the medicine passed through his skin, and into his bloodstream.

"The title of poet is something reserved for a master of our Common and Hunting... tongues. I am simply a man who was raised to be patron of the arts, and took to them quite well. Growing up with traditional Ivuori parents... was something I remember fondly." Serhan said, the distance he felt to that time evident in the blank tone he used. Still, there was something nostalgic and wistful in his expression, as if he might have missed those years. "Poetry or dancing lessons, naturally, to better appreciate the skills of artists. There was a choice..."

The frame officer barely tensed up as she injected him with medicine, merely nodding his thanks politely as she finished up. "...until an incident, that would be unnecessary for you to hear of."

Amari placed the injector on the counter and drew close to him, examining his healing wound. "Titles are meaningless without them being earned after all. But, I think there is a little bit of a poet in you. Some of the things you say pull on the heart strings." She stated, running a finger along the sealed wound, making sure there were no cracks or seams. It'd been sealed perfectly it seemed. "I only ever had Ivuori tutors in the medical field after I flunked Frame Runner Training. I had the marks, and could've been a fine pilot, I merely lacked the motivation for it. Healing the injured is more of a challenge then taking lives I suppose... Granted, I didn't have such things as poetry, or dancing lessons... I'm Cohronl, my family was well to do, but, more focused on teaching me the ways of the world then such things."

"Don't think of it as something tragic, the reason I lost my choice. Just a story, where two boys who admired the stars in the night sky of an old space station borrowed a living vessel to see them." Serhan nodded, removing his uniform jacket after he noticed the collar had been lightly stained with a few droplets on his collar. He set the garment by his side and worked the folds out of his uniform turtleneck, which did little to conceal his rather average, if a little slim, physique. He had never been that big of a man from his ancestry, and yet he couldn't be quite pinned down as being a ragged straw effigy of a man. "Hmm... this blood might be trouble to clean out."

Amari arched an elegant eyebrow at the display. "Blood is easy to get out of clothes. Just a simple organic compound, easily broken down, or absorbed." She stated before looking at him. "If I didn't know any better Serhan, I would think you're enjoying this conversation with me." She smiled a little coyly. The woman had heard of a Wing Commander who was rather... a downer...some would say. Granted she hadn't heard the name, but she could fit the description.

"A bit off topic, I know." Amari added.

"Not at all. You transition the topic of a conversation as well as smoothly as a master Ivuori debater." Serhan said, in a almost matter-of-factually manner. "That said, would you consider continuing the conversation at a late date? Over dinner?" He said again, removing his glasses slowly and setting them in his pocket. He made as small, easy smile, with the whole of his narrow, fine-featured face.

Amari suppressed the urge to giggle. "With a smile like that, how could a girl resist?" She asked him as she put a stray strand of hair over one of her delicately curved horns.

"If risking the night on my cooking talents does not bother you, feel free to drop by my flat in Fal Muzraim. In the upper part of the Observatory Canton." Serhan said calmly, with a small nod, taking his jacket underneath his sleeve as he stood up. It was about time he left anyway, now that he had been treated for his wounds. Already, he felt as if he had exposed far too much of himself in this encounter, but on the other hand felt a small piece of a very great burden being lifted from his shoulders. It would be worth pursuing this venture a little further, if only because it had been such a long time since the last one.

The man slipped his glasses back on and checked the pistol holstered at his side, as he had done many times for many years now, and nodded his thanks to the physician yet again. His expression, now half-concealed by the intricate rims and shining lenses of his glasses, once again appeared much more bland. "Good that you can make the personal touch, Amari, but I hope that you do not always take to your patients as with me. The person who falls in love with you will become envious." He said blankly, in a tone that might have been more oracular than antagonistic, as he moved to the infirmary's exit.

"Happened to me once." Amari smiled very faintly. "I know of the feeling quite well. I make it a habit to try and restrain myself." She gave him a knowing wink. "By the way. I'll have more of your prescription brought in soon. I'll send the request out to the quartermaster soon." The doctor waved to him a little as she went to her desk, atop it was a hookah, unused. Just be more careful when handling the cadets during weapons training, please?"

"Of course. All that would remain, would be to have the cadets be more careful while handling their weapons." Serhan replied, his face not lit up in a manner which exposed any great desire to make a joke, or suppress the laughter that should have followed, but utterly flat. He turned his neck as the door opened and made another polite nod to the physician, before finally leaving. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Amari."

Amari watched him leave, already preparing the hookah. "Oh, I will, I will." She said as he left. She'd finally finished preparing it a short while later, the faint scent of Salcra wafting up into the air. The doctor sighed. "First day on the job, and already I've been asked out. Guess I've become a bit like Nadir after all." She inhaled more of the fragrant smoke, the water in the bowl bubbling along as she did so. "Not such a bad thing I guess, at least the word commitment is in my vocabulary."

END
 
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