[META-PRP] Medical Monotony (Muerte & Floren)

[Melancholies]

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte was starting to wonder if taking the low route was a mistake.

One: there were wrigglers everywhere, which made sense since they weren't allowed to sign up for space reclamation. Two: Aprife wasn't here, and he wasn't going to admit that he was antsy about it, but he was a little antsy about it. Still, he couldn't let it distract from his mission; he was here to steal, he was here to procure things for the initiative. Maybe he wasn't on the front lines, but he was still serving an important purpose. Or something.

But as it was, he was in the process of trying to lay low, settle into his disguise, and appear all around unassuming. His hair was let down in a cascade of curls, and his robotic eye was covered up with an eye patch, leaving nothing but a scarred mess poking out from underneath it. Otherwise his attire was clearly not very doctor-like, not like he usually preferred it, but something a lot more cozy and casual. His new symbol was still proudly displayed on a sleeve patch; a dove, of course it was a dove.

Yes, now he was... Tetete. Floofy. Absolutely brilliant.

Tete was very busy minding his own business, and despite not appearing very "doctor like", he was still nose deep in a medical text about god-only-knew-what.

nepsah

COME BOTHER HIM

 

[nepsah]

Overall it seemed like there were a lot of people helping out with this venture. Floren had kept to the sidelines of the ground crew tent, just observing for the time being. It was best to see the variety of personalities he was going to be working with before actually working with them - one never knew who was going to be reckless and who might be more reliable for big tasks... Just in case any relegating needed to happen. They hadn't exactly been very clear on what their exact duties were going to be. That was bothersome.

Of the small selection of older trolls milling about, none of them had really caught his eye until... his gaze landed on a greenblood a little ways away from him, nose buried in a book. Overall he didn't seem that special, but... books were always of interest. He tapped at the ground to let Skoli know he was going to move, then shuffled a little closer to see if he could glimpse a title or something- he didn't want to be rude and just approach them only to find out it was something boring, after all.

The nice thing about textbooks was that the titles were usually clearly visible. And this one was right up his alley in terms of interest. He tapped at the ground again to signal that he was going to move once more, then strode the rest of the way over to his target. The older troll wasn't wearing a military uniform, so maybe they were still studying? "Excuse me." Floren spoke up a little so that he'd be heard over the background noise of other volunteers. "I'm Floren. I noticed you're reading a medicinal textbook... Are you studying to become a doctor?" He offered up a small smile, hands clasping together in front of him.

Melancholies

BOTHERBOTHERBOTHER

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte, in his ordinary ornery way of speaking, was about to snap back that he was a doctor before reminding himself that... well, he was supposed to not be Muerte Perist. Either way, the urge to snap again came back when he noticed the troll talking to him was a wriggler, god dammit why did he always attract the wrigglers.

"Quite." He spoke sharply. He supposed it might be alright to lay off the perfect incognito get up he'd conjured earlier, if only because children were stupid and he wasn't in any threat of being discovered (yet), "Unlike the droves of aggressive, demeaning idiots that populate this planet, I've taken up much more intellectual pursuits. After all, trolls like I are the real lifeblood of society; we keep the brutes bruting." He sighed.

"Still," Muerte's book was a tome on the more 'natural' side of things, herbal medication and simple remedies that he never used to bother with, but with complicated medicines scarce in the swamp it was good knowledge to have. Hellhole as Salamire was, it did have an impressive bounty of foliage and other things. "For you to take note is somewhere unusual. Do you have any interest in this sort of... of..." he searched for the word, "...stuff?" Nailed it.

"And since I know you're brimming with curiosity, you can refer to me as Etet, or Et for short. I will not regale you with my full name. Yes yes, 'Doctor Et that is very strange', I know your kind and your way of thinking. I'm simply embarrassed by it." Nailed it.

nepsah

im sorry he's such a pretentious loser

 

[nepsah]

Ah- maybe this troll was not very keen on talking to others. He was about to excuse himself when... Etet... began to speak more. Wow, what an ego. Not that Floren could really... fault him for that, it was true, trolls as a race seemed much more focused on brute strength than cunning and... well... it didn't always turn out well. "I see." He nodded, eyeing the book some more until Etet asked him an actual question. Floren met his gaze and nodded again, smile back in place. "Oh yes. Mostly for animals that I find around my hive, but I am starting to venture into the care of other trolls." He spared another glance at the book - ah, herbal medicine, he was more familiar with that - then back up to Etet. "I wasn't thinking that it was strange, nor was I wondering about your full name." He shrugged, simply not wanting to deal with having another person insist they knew what he was thinking.

"Is your field of choice going to be in herbal medicines or are you supplementing your study?" Since this troll seemed to assume a lot, he decided he'd use as many big words as possible. He wasn't dumb, or the average wriggler that just wanted to ask questions. Oh no. "Personally I'm still figuring out what aspects I'd like to focus on right now but coupled with botany as a hobby herbalism seems the best method to start with. Much easier and less expensive." Sort of. Living in the middle of nowhere desert didn't make things easy for him....

Melancholies

he's perfect omg

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte closed the book with a poignant snap.

"A mere supplement. My true passions preside more with medical science, but it's good to, ah, learn your roots--" (haha botany) "--as it were. It isn't a very cheap hobby, so I'm often times worked out of work. It would be stupid of me to turn a blind eye to even the most simple of remedies, even if I have knowledge of methods that vastly overcome them."

The book was set down next to him, "Still, it's good to have a interest in such an art from a young age. The one true enemy you have with any intellectual pursuit is time, there's never enough time to learn everything, tragic really but I digress." There was another sigh. Muerte sighed a lot. "If I had to offer you any advice, I'd say it's a wonderful starting point." At least he seemed to be calming down. Talking to like minded trolls always settled down his proverbial feathers.

"I apologize for any outrageous accusations. You must understand that the majority of the individuals I speak with either brush my craft away or they're total morons." God he hated talking to stupid trolls.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

There, there. Now he was speaking much more reasonably. "Already? You must be quite the prodigy." Was that a hint of teasing in his tone? Perhaps. "Time can be made, for those that have the means." Another shrug. Then again, Floren had the benefit of not having to worry about daylight impeding any outdoor aspects of his learning where... most other trolls did not.

"I understand. I have not had to deal with that so much just yet, but I suppose most of my patients don't speak so it would be hard to get back talk." He grinned a bit more, amused by his own joke. "And not many trolls wander out to the desert. Very remote, I'm sure you've noticed. I don't think I've seen this many trolls in one place in person." Pausing, Floren cast a look over the crowd again... Very rowdy, the lot of them. "I'm sure there will be a lot of injuries. If we are working on the same project, would it be all right if I shadowed you in case medical expertise is needed?" Any means to learn more, even if Etet was a little odd. "Provided they don't have professional help, anyway. I can only imagine that they would reserve most of the medical personnel for those that may be injured while off the planet."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte blinked slowly as he tried not to balk. This child. This, this wriggler... he had obviously recognized Muerte's vast abilities at the drop of a conversation. Perhaps there was more to this greenblood than met the eye; he wanted to be his protege. Absolutely remarkable. "Floren! You've made quite the offer." He sighed, dramatically again. "Although I will be, no doubt, incredibly busy, I suppose I can make time for an inquiring mind. You'd learn plenty of things that I'm sure you scarcely see in the desert, yes."

Muerte found it hard to agree with his sentiment, though. In the swamp, he actually had more interaction than he did living in the woods. In the woods there was him, his... lusus, locked away, and--bodies. Lots of bodies. Not necessarily the most talkative crew. Still, it was a lot of trolls...

"Who knows what sort of mishaps we may encounter down here. I'd put a lot of merit in your thought; at most, we'll likely only see... accidents." He sounded grim. "Trolls falling into things they shouldn't. If we're lucky, tensions might rise and a pair might attack one another, but we cannot get our hopes up. Either way, I'm sure the experiences will be valuable to us both."

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Apparently he'd done something good, judging from Etet's reaction. He smiled, resisting a little laugh. Would he really be all that much busier than everyone else? Then again Floren did suppose there was a rather noticeable... lack. Of older trolls on the ground crew. They'd undoubtedly be needed to reach things high up, or something like that. Yeah...

"Thank you, I will do my best to learn diligently and not interfere with your process." Floren nodded, then... squinted a little. He.. wanted them to get into fights? Floren supposed that it was only natural, trolls did tend to get violent when all pushed together but to actively desire it was another thing. Then again Etet was right... it would be a good opportunity to see fresh fight wounds... He hummed in thought, mulling over the possibilities. "No I suppose we can't... but with this many trolls grouped together with... little supervision, I'm sure that some sort of scuff may occur. If not physical, then verbal." He clapped his hands together with another nod.

"You are right, it will be valuable experience regardless. Have you much experience with fight wounds?" He was probably just opening the door for more dramatics, but could he be blamed? The topic was interesting!

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

That was Muerte for you; amoral as all hell. Fighting wasn't something he liked to engage in, or really witness, but it was the thought of possibly learning something new that made him wish for it all the same. "Not as much as I'd like, but it's still ample." He nodded sagely, "Which is why I relish in the opportunity to witness more of it. It's a very delicate process, saving someones life. Unfortunately, the majority of my prior patients were already deceased."

He laughed.

"But I have operated on, I suppose you could call them, friends. My niche lately has been directed more towards robotics... you know, augmented limbs and such. Very complicated. Very rewarding. Always necessary. Can make or break how a troll deals with a relatively threatening incident. Another skill you need to know as a doctor is when to give up." He looked serious for once, "There's something to be said about quality of life, whether or not you're actually doing your patient any favors." And it was a decision Muerte thankfully hadn't had to make, except who are we kidding Muerte would operate on them anyway. Science!

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Floren wanted to ask if they could really be considered patients if they were already dead, but decided against it. Though... he did tuck the idea away for later. It could be useful, especially if an older peer had been using the method and was doing well. "I see." He offered up a quiet verbal confirmation that he was still listening, though... admittedly was more preoccupied with thoughts of utilizing the bodies of the animals he'd failed to save... Hm.

At the mention of robotics he perked back up again - he hadn't really been that interested in them - as most animals didn't seem to need them, but the change in tone in Etet had caught his attention. "Oh, yes. I suppose it's easier to draw that line with animals." He shrugged - he'd.. had to end the life of a few of them, but he hadn't even thought about doing so with a troll. "Do you have a set of... requirements that need to be met or failed before you decide to give up?" Floren fixed Etet with a highly curious look and threaded his fingers together in front of him.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte hummed in thought. The pretentious aura seemed to drop, or at least let up for the moment. "In an ideal world, you'd know what they'd want. Unfortunately, things typically don't work out that way. If you have a patient in a condition where you're torn between that call, they're usually past any point of consolation." He sighed.

"I suppose it would come down to your own faith in your own abilities. My knowledge with robotics is, unfortunately, not perfect, but I could still provide someone with--in my opinion--decent quality of life if their body were to be mangled." He looked over his hand, glossed over his nails. "For me, I guess the only requirement would be the sanctity of the mind. I wouldn't save someone if I knew they'd never be sound again. Limbs can be replaced, but a brain cannot." They wouldn't last, not on Alternia.

He shrugged.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

"I see... that does make sense." He nodded, noting the change in aura around Etet. Flattery and a genuine desire to learn did seem to go far after all. "That is a good defining line. They would likely meet a more gruesome and painful end otherwise." Floren hummed in agreement, figuring that even if a troll had others willing to care for them in that situation it just... would not be worth it. The maintenance would be maddening.

"Well, I suppose that it's best to hope that such a thing won't come across your path or.. perhaps mine in the future, very often." He knew better than to add "if at all," the world was too violent for that sort of thinking. "I do hope they begin things soon. It's getting quite old just sitting around."

Melancholies

omg...... i had a response typed up but apparently i never posted it......

 

[Melancholies]

"Indeed." Muerte seemed equally bored. Even with a book in his hand--and god he loved reading--he'd only been parsing through the same chapters over and over. Too difficult not to let his guard down. "All you can really do is hone your own skills, work towards perfection in every aspect of your ability, and... perhaps if you come across those moments, your own talents will be strong enough to minimize any negative damages. One of my patients scarcely survived--he had his throat slit, not the easiest thing to fix up. You're honestly dead in minutes. He lived at the cost of his voice, but--"

His face was blank, obviously swirling in thought, "I still wish I could have done something more. Well, what do they always say? Transform your frustrations into strength?" He snorted, "There's some merit to that."

He turned back to Floren, then to the mass of trolls milling about, "It might be time for another walk." He was talking to himself, more or less, but it also seemed like code for I'm getting bored with talking, too.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

"That sounds terribly gruesome. But regardless I am sure he is thankful to live even if he lost something like that." He shrugged a little. There were ways to get around not having a voice, weren't there. "I suppose so, yes." Floren stretched his hands over his head, fingers laced together as he sighed. Yep. Truly boredom was settling in, as interesting as Etet was. He still required more than just conversation to keep his attention from straying.

"A walk sounds nice. I will see you again later then." Coming out of his stretch he offered Etet a little bow of his head. He then tapped at the ground a couple of times before turning to wander off back in the direction he'd come from. Might as well make a full circle around the perimeter before they had to move elsewhere for Skoli's sake.

Melancholies

figured here would be a good endin'!