Finally getting the courage to face you... on Hospital Wing

Kiva Kijewski

June 28, 2005 12:33 AM

Finally getting the courage to face you... by Kiva Kijewski

When Kiva finally made it back to her living quarters, fully covered in muck and an injured bird in her arms, she could think of nothing else but collapsing in her gigantic bed and sleeping off the next 3 years of her life. But there were more important matters at hand.

Kiva gently placed the owl on her bed, careful not to injure him any more than he already was. She looked him over, checking for any other signs of injury other than the broken wing, but finding none. The bird would need a few days to heal and to rest. She didn't mind keeping him here until he fully recovered.

Taking out her wand, Kiva conjured up a cage. After setting the birds wing, she filled the water dish, food dish, and made the bedding for a comfy home until the birds recovery. She placed the owl in the middle of the bedding, talking softly to him as to calm down any fright he may have had. When she knew the bird had fallen into a slomber, Kiva returned to reality. She realized that she was covered in filth and the cuts she received were burning. Some of the fabric from her clothing has been ripped by the storm. She hadn't realized it had been that fierce of a storm.

Quickly stripping, Kiva stepped into a hot shower. The wounds stung painfully as the water cleaned them. It took her a good half hour before being completely clean or as clean as she believed she could get and she stood examining herself. She was bruised from the wind and some of the larger cuts were still bleeding with no sign of stopping. Frowning, Kiva stood tormented with what to do. She didn't want to heal herself because she wasn't very good with that sort of thing, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to see the medic either. He had run off on her in their brief encounter.

Still, if she didn't do something, she would never sleep. Finally making up her mind, Kiva put on knew clothes, leaving her naturally curly hair wet from the shower, she left her qaurters, where the owl slept peacefully and her cat, Ria was contently bathing herself, and walked the halls until she found the infirmary.

She hesitated at the doorway. By now, the students should be back in their common rooms, or their House Head's office in the case of the Pecaris, which would mean that Kiva would most likely be in there alone with the Medic. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Taking a large deep breath, Kiva crossed the threshold and entered the infirmary. "Hello?" She called out softly, "Erm-Nurse Papp? Philemon...I-erm-need you to look at something for me."

6 Kiva Kijewski Finally getting the courage to face you... 5 Kiva Kijewski 1 5

Phil Papp

June 29, 2005 11:23 PM

No need to be afraid. by Phil Papp

The morning began without incident; he woke from a dreamless sleep, managed to pass through breakfast without exchanging a word with the few other staff members who joined in the repast, and spent a very dull couple hours staring at a slightly discolored space on his office wall. A few times the fire flickered, and Philemon nearly jumped from his seat in hopes of receiving some sort of break from the boredom in the shape of a missive or summons. Sadly, no such letter ever arrived, and his stupor had reached such a deep level that he hardly noticed when the windows began to tremble.

It was only when the lighting in his office dimmed to nearly twilightâ€™s usual shading that the swirl of raging dust and wind beyond the windows finally drew his attention. Nose nearly touching the glass, he stared through the window panes, in slack jawed shock as a literal storm of debris, dirt, and sand roared over the grounds. He hadnâ€™t thought it possible, not that he was overly familiar with Sonoraâ€™s weather patterns, but the weather up til then had been bordering on pleasantly perfect.

The umber shaded storm chose that particular moment to bellow up at the windows, and they rattled dangerously. Philemon backed away slowly and braced against the solid structure of his imported desk.

The reprieve lasted two minutes before the first of what would be many patients limped, bled, or was carried in. Almost all were students, and thankfully the worst of their injuries came from the rush to get indoors. Six hours and a nearly emptied supply later, and Philemon finally thought the day at its end. One of the elves had left a lunch tray for him on his desk; the meal had long gone cold, and his appetite dissipated after a few listless bites. His clothes and hair were dishevelled, his body exhausted, and his mind still bewildered by the strange turn of events.

He all but collapsed into the spare chair that adorned his office, thankful once more for the many comfort charms so thoughtfully placed on it, and fell quite easily into a light doze. He woke later- how much later, he wasnâ€™t sure at first- but he woke to the sound of chimes: the modified alarm that warned of new guests in the hospital wing. Wearily, he picked himself up from the chair and stifled a yawn as he stumbled into the darkened lighting of the infirmiary.

Philemon squinted through the dimness at the shadowed silhouette that stood in the doorway. The body moved slightly closer, only then choosing to speak. He recognized the soft, somewhat hesitant voice immediately.

â€œHello? Erm-Nurse Papp? Philemon...I-erm-need you to look at something for me.â€

A surprising rush of discomfiture hit him, and for a few awkward moments, he merely stood staring, the words seemingly ignored. Kiva continued to wait for his answer, her face at last visible by the lighting that, as charmed, began to brighten. At the sight of the bruises and cuts shorn over her features, Philemon broke out from his stupor.

â€œKiva?â€ He cleared his throat and unconsciously began to straighten his wrinkled collar. â€œYes, of course, whatever you need. Please, go on and take a seat. Is that the worst of it?â€ He winced internally at the tactlessness of his words, the that being a few visible gashes on her cheeks, and one particularly harsh bruise on her throat.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Phil Papp No need to be afraid. 0 Phil Papp 0 5

Kiva

June 30, 2005 2:19 AM

We'll see if you run away again. by Kiva

Kiva stood awkwardly in the enterance way of the hospital wing. She didn't want to move any further without permission, but the Nurse seemed to only want to stare at her. She was immediately happy with herself for showering first because, otherwise, she didn't think she could handle whatever look he might have given her if she had walked in covered in filth.

Without realizing it, a small blush had risen into her cheeks and across her nose. She was self-conscious and wrapped her arms around her as she did when she felt vulnerable to other people. Of course, this movement caused her to wince as she brushed against some of her wounds.

At last, he was talking. Kiva gave him a nervous smile and took a seat where indicated. It took her a moment to understand the words he spoke and raised a hand to her face, "Oh, oh, no, no. I mean, yes, these hurt too, but I'm not entirely worried about those." Kiva had dressed herself in a knee-length skirt and regular t-shirt, being as they happened to be the closest garmets of clothing within her reach when she had been dressing. After a slight hesitation, Kiva skirmed a bit while pulling the lower half of her skirt up to reveal a disgustingly large gash on her outter thigh, "This is what I'm worried about, it doesn't seem to want to stop bleeding." She replaced her skirt and lifted her t-shirt to reveal her side where another large gash was, "And this. I think I was hit by some rocks while closing off the Owlry." She told him and replaced her shirt.

"I wouldn't have normally bothered you or anything, but I was worried about infection and I'm not very good at healing myself as I am with healing animals." She told him, her eyes not quite reaching his. She gave him a soft chuckle of embarrassment, but cut it short for fear of sounding ridiculous.

"I'm sorry for the bother...Once you heal me, I'll be out of your hair and you won't have to deal with me any longer." Her voice was barely audible, but she was sincere in her words.

0 Kiva We'll see if you run away again. 0 Kiva 0 5

Phil Papp

July 05, 2005 2:22 AM

As long as you're beast free, I'll not run. by Phil Papp

OOC: Sorry about the length of time in replying; sorta crazy week. I duly promise to be more timely from now on.

IC:

There were three classes required on it at the Vincenza Institute: Professionalism in the Work-Place. Philemon remembered the first lesson given: the professor, an elderly Italian woman with a deceptively sweet looking visage, drew out a scenario: an attractive co-worker of the opposite gender is injured while performing a charm- the injury being a large gash in an intimate area. The question posed was: knowing the treatment necessary (the treatment consisting of, first, a general antiseptic charm, followed up with a skin regenerative charm, and finalized with a topical salve to remove any scarring), would it break general work protocol to follow through with all three steps, personally?

Signora D'Amuri literally beat it into his and his classmates' brains, that the answer was very simple: the mediwizardry's protocols trump all other rules and regulations. She yelled that day, and every day of those three terms, that medical professionalism demanded such a degree of clinicism that gender relations are forced to be forgotten. She said the same thing so many times that Philemon could quote it word and verse:

'Regazze, listen to me. There is no male, there is no female. There is only the body, and there is only the ailment. You fix the body, and you remove the ailment. Capisce? Later you can think: si, this is a girl, or si, this is a boy. But not when healing. Capisce? Va bene.'

But the moment Kiva started to lift up her clothes, all Philemon could think of was that he chose the wrong profession. He was horribly embarrassed, and he knew by the flush that coated his neck in an all too familiar patchy red that Kiva would soon be aware of his embarrassment as well. He tried to repeat Signora D'Amuri's mantra in his head, even as he began the first of the spells.

"Nullus Contagio," he muttered, pointedly keeping his gaze on his hand as he directed his wand to the two large gashes Kiva had pointed out. The second step involved an actual wand to skin contact, and for the seemingly umpteenth time, he cleared his throat.

"I'll need you to raise your skirt and shirt again, if you would." He tried to make his voice sound more confident. "There has to be skin contact with the wand for the next charm to work." The affect was lost however when his voice noticably cracked on the word 'contact.' Philemon felt his neck heat up once again; this was ridiculous. He was 22 years old, not thirteen. He should be way over his nervousness around women; he had been fine during that walk in the gardens- well, minus that minor incident with the cat. He gave his head a shake; now was not the time for mental rambling, he had to focus.

"It's to close the wound," he explained belatedly.

0 Phil Papp As long as you're beast free, I'll not run. 0 Phil Papp 0 5

Kiva Kijewski

July 06, 2005 11:42 PM

For now, I remain beast free by Kiva Kijewski

OOC: Tis okay, I couldn't have answered it until now anyway. So, it worked out for the best. BIC:

Kiva had never felt awkward about her body because it was the one thing about her that seemed to have gone right. Living 8 years in the wild, amongst the animals to study them, she had grown very athletic and strong, so revealing what skin she did, didn't bother her so much as the reaction from Philemon did.

He turned red. She wasn't exactly sure what had caused it. Maybe it was because she had forced another meeting upon him and that he hadn't ever wanted to see her or speak to her again. If that be the case, than he was red with anger or annoyance. But if that wasn't the case, than Kiva wasn't the only adult in this school with a social problem.

The small crack in his voice brought a small smile to Kiva's lips, but she quickly turned her head to hide it as she didn't want to anger him. "Yes, of course." Kiva shifted her body so that her outter thigh was facing Papp and all her weight fell onto her good leg. She lifted her skirt only high enough to expose the wound. She did the same with her shirt and waited patiently for Philemon to do his work. "I really do appreciate this. I would have done it myself, but I was afraid of infection. I'm sorry to inconvenience you."

OOC: BTW, anyone reading this thread, timeline-wise, this comes after all the kids have gotten help and the Cravens were found, mmmkay?

6 Kiva Kijewski For now, I remain beast free 5 Kiva Kijewski 0 5

Phil Papp

July 11, 2005 3:45 PM

Then it's all good. by Phil Papp

Once again fighting against his infantile embarrassment, Philemon lightly touched his wand to each bruise and wound, explaining as he went. "Crescodermis- the charm only calls for the skin to regenerate, to create new cells, but the healing in it is latent." The gash on her thigh, another light wand touch. "Crescodermis- the genuis of it really is that none of the healing being done is magical, it's simply amplifying the body's natural ability to take care of itself." The cuts along her cheeks, a gentle sweep of his wand across both. "Crescodermis- so really, when you think of it, it's only yourself you have to thank."

He stood back from his ministrations, daring to make eye contact, having at last found some amount of ease in his actions. "But you're welcome nevertheless; it's no problem at all and certainly not an inconvenience."

He dropped his wand back into its earlier home in his pocket and summoned over his next to last Krushmann's Scar-away salve. Philemon hated to use commercial brands, but all the previously homemade brews had been used up in day's events. He handed Kiva the salve. "You'll need only use it for a few days. Just rub some on in the morning and at night, and there should be no scarring."

Philemon dredged up a tired smile as he sat on the edge of one of the newly cleaned cots. He ran a weary hand over his eyes and made a pointed gesture to the cold tray of food nearby. "If you aren't too tired, though, perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me about the details of the storm over a late dinner. I'm afraid what with dealing with injured students today, I haven't had a chance to either eat or learn much, aside from the students' reports, about what's going on."

As if the words 'late dinner' were some sort of inbuilt summons, one of the school's many invisible workers appeared, seemingly from the wood, er that is, adobe-work. Before giving his order to the prairie elf, he waited for Kiva's response. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Phil Papp Then it's all good. 0 Phil Papp 0 5

Kiva

July 12, 2005 5:42 PM

Good, I'm glad. by Kiva

Kiva watched as her gashes faded away and were replaced by freshly made skin. The feeling was a sort of tingling sensation mixed in with a certain tightness caused by the regenerated skin. She listened carefully as the mediwizard explained every step he was doing and exactly how it all worked. Kiva felt that if she hadn't loved animals as much as she had, she probably would have devoted her life to helping humans instead. But, animals were her life and, therefore, she spent her days learning, helping, and understanding them.

She gently took the salve from Philemon's hand and listened to his instructions, smiling when he told her she hadn't been any sort of pain. She wasn't concerned with scars, they came with the job, but it was nice that he had given the medicine to her anyway. At the mention of a late dinner, Kiva's eyebrows shot to her hairline and her mouth formed a small O in surprise. It was then that she remembered just how many students must have been through his infirmary.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kiva began, "I should have sent a warning message to you first before sending the students here." Kiva apologized, worry crossing her brow momentarily. "I'd love for dinner and to discuss what has happened." She hadn't eaten since earlier that morning, having been too excited for her lessons, she had skipped out on lunch and with the crisis, it was now long passed dinner. "That's very kind of you." She added.

0 Kiva Good, I'm glad. 0 Kiva 0 5

Phil

July 12, 2005 10:16 PM

Then everything's just dandy. by Phil

Philemon warmed under the praise, not at all used to the effusive manner in which Kiva presented herself. When his mother apologized for things, he always had felt it ingenuine, but with Kiva, every word simply felt sincere. He stood, his shoulders bent forward from fatigue, and guided Kiva toward his much more hospitable office.

The prairie elf had ran off immediately after Kiva's acceptance, apparently needing no order. He hoped, though, that whatever the elf brought for the meal, that something chocolate was included. A carry-over from childhood, Philemon had a very sweet tooth, although he rarely indulged in it. Only when feeling tired or disgruntled did he give in to the weakness- and when he did, Merlin but it was complete decadence.

Almost without realizing it, he pulled out one of the charmed chairs for Kiva to sit in. While neither of the two chairs looked like much- both a faded red, and each bulging in dubious patterns- they were riddled with so many comfort charms that it was impossible to ever consider purchasing new ones. Even if they desperately needed a new upholstery.

"You're really the one doing me a favor," he admitted, taking the seat across from her. He stretched out in it, his legs finding the ottoman on reflex. "Most nights I miss the formal eating time and end up in here. I imagine I'd forget entirely if it weren't for the prairie elves. They've been mothering me terribly, but I imagine they're like this for all the staff."

He pulled at his collar and loosened the starched throat wrap those in the mediwizardry profession wear. The tradition was very much a formal one, and most modern practitioners had dropped the throat wrap. Philemon liked his, almost in perverse reaction to the general trend. He received his as a graduation gift from Professor D'Amuri, and the old woman had nearly cried as she kissed his cheeks and wished him good fortune. As his fingers touched the dark blue, corded wrap, a smile stretched over his lips.

Finally relaxed, he turned to the main point of his curiosity. "So, tell me about this storm. Do you know what caused it? Is it likely to happen again?"

Just as he finished, the prairie elf returned, as silent as ever. The small creature deposited a huge tray of varying edibles, from sandwiches to a tureen of what smelled like leek soup. In the center of the tray, though, rested the source of Philemon's delighted grin: a huge chunk of fudge ribboned bundt cake.

0 Phil Then everything's just dandy. 0 Phil 0 5

Kiva

July 13, 2005 2:34 PM

Right...I think we settled this. by Kiva

Kiva followed Philemon to his office without a word. Her office was large and spacious...and blue. With nice new furniture and a lovely desk with more space than she knew what to do with. Philemon's didn't look a thing like hers, but still held the same warming quality her's had whenever she walked into the room. Like...a feeling of being home.

She watched as he pulled out a chair in great need of repair. She was rather surprised by the state of the chair, but sat down in it anyways. Besides, she had slept on the cold ground many times in her life that an ugly chair would be much more comfortable. And it was. Kiva let out a soft sigh of surprise as she sat down in the chair.

"Favor?" Kiva questioned. She didn't see how this would be a favor considering she was the reason why he had missed out on a proper dinner in the first place. At the mention of the Prairie elves, Kiva smiled. She always held Elves of any kind in great respect, their magic and the way the live was remarkable to her. "I honestly haven't really noticed. I'm usually outside with the creatures, but I suppose whenever I get back to my office there's something waiting for me." Kiva blushed out of embarrassment, "Never thought much about it."

Kiva waited to answer Philemon's questions as the Prairie elf brought in the food. She picked up a salad with no dressing and lightly picked at it. Most of the food had animal products in it and Kiva had been a vegetarian for most of her life. "This is loevely, thank you." Kiva said, both to the Prairie elf and to Philemon. She took a few small bites of her salad before beginning the explanation of what had happened.

"Well, I'm not really sure what caused it. From what I remember of this school, the weather is charmed or something to that matter." Kiva started. "I'm sure Headmistress Marnett or Professor Bulla could explain this better." Kiva told him apologetically, "I can tell you when it happened and just how terrible it was though, if that helps." Kiva paused trying to collect her thoughts.

"It was windy all day, windier than I recall it having ever been." Kiva began, "But, never really paid it much thought, it was a nice breeze against the sun. Anyway, about halfway through my lesson with the second years, the wind picked up along with dust, dirt, and debris. It was a wonder how I even got them all up to the school without any of them being blown away. Some of them are just so small." Kiva said quietly, "When we got into the school, I separated them into groups, those who needed medical attention and those who only needed to get back to their dorms and sent them on their way. But, there were a couple who were missing." Kiva stopped and looked down at her salad, she was still ashamed of having lost the Craven twins in the storm.

"The Craven twins had gotten themselves separated during the rush up to the school, so I went for help and sought them out with the Deputy Head. He charmed us with bubbles so that we didn't get roughed up." Kiva said. "Outside...you couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of you. And, I'm sure, if I hadn't had the bubble, my injuries would be far worse than a few gashes." Kiva paused again and looked quickly up at Philemon and then away again.

"I got to the Owlry to help close off the building and Professor Bulla went into the gardens. Some of the birds were injured, one of them is suffering from a broken wing back in my living quarters. After that, I made it back to the school and waited. Professor Bulla was the one that found them. They looked dreadful. So small and vulnerable." Kiva said, more to herself than to Philemon, "Once we were sure they were okay and everything was worked out...we went our separate ways. I'm not even sure of when the storm had stopped. I just...did my best with the Owl and showered. And then I came here." She finished, finally glancing back up to meet Philemon's eyes. She gave him a small smile.

"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful with my information. But, if it's happened before and we don't know how or why, I wouldn't be surprised if this happened again."

0 Kiva Right...I think we settled this. 0 Kiva 0 5

Phil

July 25, 2005 12:49 AM

Redundancy seems to be my thing. by Phil

Philemon ate slowly and unabashedly of his chocolate cake while listening to Kiva's detailed recounting of the day's adventures. So it had been a dust storm; he had read of them before. After all, one does not consider traversing the Sahara without researching what sort of weather one might encounter. What he had read at the time described the storms as giant clouds of sand that could last months and ravaged the Saharan plains during key parts of the year. The Sonora desert was different in material, and that probably explained the difference in consistency: dust and dirt as opposed to sand.

He mused aloud over this while sampling some of the leek soup. "I wonder if other areas were effected by the storm- other than the school, I mean. It would be odd to have a localized storm, but you said the school is charmed, so I don't suppose that's possible. . ."

The soup was the perfect temperature and rested thick and heavy against his tongue. He savored the rich flavor and eyed Kiva's somewhat thinner looking salad with sympathy. He knew nothing of her eating habits, but he hoped she wasn't one of those women who thought starved themselves when eating in public. His fiancee was like that; he had encouraged her otherwise, but the habit remained unbroken to his knowledge- somewhat dated knowledge, he realized suddenly and dishearteningly.

Pushing the thought aside, Philemon broke one of the dinner rolls in half. "The Cravens are fine, incidentally. I'm hoping they listened to me and are sound asleep as we speak." He smiled wryly and added, "But something tells me they're more likely regaling housemates with stories of their adventure in the storm than listening to me."

His hazel eyes came to rest on the flickering of the decorative flames in the grating. There was something else he had wanted to ask her, but the subject was awkward, especially as Kiva hadn't offered anything up herself about it. His gaze crossed over to her as she picked at her salad; the strain of the day was evident, but- and perhaps it was just his imagination- but, there were older lines of worry there, as if she had a much greater concern than a freak storm raiding the school.

Philemon decided on the direct approach, and then appropriately fumbled it. "Kiva, I heard about- that is, I overheard some talk about. . ." He cleared his throat and, moving past the stammering, settled on being subtle instead. "Should you need any help, I'm more than willing to, uh, help. Help with, you know, any, uh, medical concerns you, uh, may have."

Apparently the stammering wasn't as long gone as he had hoped, but Philemon thought the message- however convoluted- was still there. He had heard about Kiva's father. Not any specifics, of course, but only that he was sick and that's where Kiva spent most of her weekends. Philemon wasn't a Healer, or even a very experienced mediwizard, but he knew from more than schooling that sometimes just the offer was enough to comfort. And despite a slightly rocky beginning, he wanted a friend at Sonora, and Kiva was certainly the closest thing he had to one.

0 Phil Redundancy seems to be my thing. 0 Phil 0 5

Kiva

July 26, 2005 5:13 PM

'Tis fine by me by Kiva

Kiva's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about what Philemon had wondered outloud about the storm. It did seem quite strange that a duststorm had occurred and it would be even stranger if it had only happened in his area. But, she didn't know weather very well and she wasn't going to assume anything.

"Oh, I'm glad to hear they are well. Bulla sent me off when we got back into the building, so I wasn't sure." Kiva told him, appreciating the fact that he had (whether he knew it or not) eased her worries just a bit. She finished her salad and set down her fork, it had been a long draining sort of day.

Without much thought to what she was doing, Kiva picked up an apple and munched on it loudly. Apples were her favorite fruit and constantly consumed them whenever she could get ahold of them. She was munching on it when Philemon spoke to her again, sounding nervous and uncertain with his words.

She listened quietly as he struggled to say what he needed to. Medical concerns? Kiva looked at the cream she had set aside when she had sat down and absentmindedly rubbed her cheek where one of her smaller cuts had been before he had healed them. Her furrow brows deepened and she looked confusedly at Philemon before what he said finally sunk in.

It felt as though all the wind had been knocked out of her. Her eyes widened a bit and she looked around the room for something to look at. She didn't know that people knew. Well, that wasn't true, she knew the Headmistress knew and was almost certain that Bulla knew since he was the DH, but she was unaware that anyone else had known. Though, it was a somewhat small school and if anyone had noticed her leave on the weekends, word would have gotten around.

Her eyes finally settled back on Philemon. He was being polite and friendly, but she knew she probably looked like a scared little girl in that moment. Her father was the life of her family and without him, she knew her mother would slowly die away as well. She tried to never think about it, and usually did a good job of fooling herself with the mundane things of life.

"Tha-" Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat to try again, "Thank you, Philemon, that means a lot to me and I appreciate it." She no longer had an appetite and so, she placed her half eaten apple onto her empty salad plate.

0 Kiva 'Tis fine by me 0 Kiva 0 5