[PRP] Tutor Me [Floren + Muerte]

[nepsah]

Persistence pays off in the end

 

[nepsah]

He'd given Etet plenty of time to get set up. At least, by his standards he had. The next night, Floren made his way toward the area Etet had instructed him to come meet him at. It was a little difficult to navigate the uneven terrain, but he was making decent time. He just... had to locate the hive. The longer it took, the more he began to worry that perhaps Etet had given him the slip. What a nuisance that would be... how else would he find him?

After about an hour and a half of traipsing around the woods Etet had said the clinic was in he was beginning to get pretty frustrated. Skoli was slowing his progress significantly, his lusus was not meant for traveling above ground and definitely not in the forest. "Etet? Hello??" He called out, figuring he might as well make some noise in hopes of being heard.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte was beginning to wonder why he'd let himself get into this mess.

In the end, it was a fruitless train of thought. He knew exactly how he'd gotten into this mess, because he had walked into it willingly. He could have told the child to ******** off and been done with the whole ordeal, but instead he continued to extend the proverbial olive branch. He couldn't tell if this was a progress or not; he was trying to be more sociable, but the cost was a tad steep.

Muerte really owed his hivemate. Aprife had made it a personal goal to begin setting up a network of safe housing--little hives dotted throughout specific locations, hardly suitable for prolonged stay if one prioritized comfort. Muerte had been holed up in one to stockpile supplies for his eventual return back to the swamp, but now he had worked himself up into a frenzy to make it look... lived in. Presentable. Like it wasn't a temporary hive. The inside still looked crude at best--Muerte wasn't the best at interior decor--but there was adequate lighting and a faux work space set up. He had scattered along some of his notes for good measure.

There was one point where he thought about attracting the local avian population, as he did so dearly adore birds and they would undoubtedly brighten the hive some, but the only taker to his bait had been a rather cantankerous raptor that had no business being housed in his dwelling.

Not even a second after he left his humble abode, he heard that shrill childish voice cutting through the woodland. He swore under his breath. What a nuisance! And yet, had Muerte been his age and not a total shut in, he would have probably done similar things in pursuit of knowledge. Time to put on the mask.

"Ah yes, Hello." Muerte revealed himself with dramatic fashion. This time he did not bother with an eye patch, and both his eyes--natural and mechanical--were fixed on the greenblood in front of him. "Come now, it's not far from here. Is that--" He scrutinized Skoli "Your lusus? Delightful. Please be sure to inform it not to make any attempts on my life." That was the last thing he needed, really.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

One moment Etet was very much not there, and the next he was. Despite how he may present himself as being calm and collected, Floren did jump a little bit at the sudden sound of the older troll's voice. Skoli raised his head slightly, front arms waving in the air a little as if he was trying to feel out where the new troll was. He was pitifully bad at detecting directions through air vibrations...

Floren cleared his throat, trying to casually pretend that he had not in fact jumped a couple inches off the ground and did not clutch at his chest like some scandalized maidtroll.... or something.... Nope. "Yes, this is Skoli. He won't attack you, I've explained the situation to him." Well, as best as he could, anyway. Skoli, as faithful and well behaved a lusus as he was, didn't always seem to be the brightest.

He followed Etet to the hive - noting its... slightly dilapidated outward appearance. "Do... you see many visitors out here?" The hike had been quite difficult, but maybe he was just more used to navigating sand dunes than forests. The occupants of Busthind must be more suited for forest travel, clearly.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Ah, he jumped. That was a little funny at least. "Good. And scarcely, but that's how I prefer things. I am a doctor, but you know, I am a scientist as well. I prefer my work to go undisturbed if I can help it." He opened the door, ignoring how it creaked mercilessly.

Inside was a myriad of candles--all lit--but all in all the area was clean. Muerte had been sure to thoroughly dust it.

"Though that said," He went to tend to the rudimentary fire place located in the center of the hive, "I don't get to practice medicine as often as I like. We're a very robust species, but I scarcely get anyone with... intense injuries this far out, at least from individuals seeking me out of their own initiative. Although," After stoking the fire, he led Floren to his work space, "Busthind is a very dangerous place. Towards the peaks, you find many unfortunate individuals who just weren't on the side of luck. I turn their misfortune to my gain and study the deceased, when I can."

The work space was comprised mainly of a desk and a few shelving units. Medical supplies were organized neatly in both closed and opened containers. Atop the table was a moderately stocked chemistry set, some test tubes and vials filled with unknown liquids. He glossed over them briefly.

"But I suppose there's a flip side to that as well," He sat atop a stool and pulled one up for Floren as well, "Being so remote means sometimes you can find survivors." He shrugged because he was indifferent, but also because he was making up most of this s**t as he went. It wasn't so different from his time in the forest though, if you swapped the danger for the hunts out with the treachery of the mountains, "A ray of hope for them, some good data for myself. Everyone wins. But listen to me ramble--let's begin with you, Floren. Why seek me out? Let's begin again from the top. Let's hear your questions."

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

He might have actually winced a little at the creaking sound - that didn't sound like a door that got a lot of use... Or maybe it just needed oiling? He glanced over it as he stepped through the threshold and into the hive. The candles were... an interesting touch. Did he not have proper lighting? The small jadeblood did his best to listen to Etet speaking while he examined the hive. What a strange set up... Skoli remained outside, silent, but upset that he could not follow inside.

"I see, that does make sense." He nodded- things weren't that different out in the desert, it was just the environment that changed. He didn't see too many trolls unless he went into town, and those that he did see had either packed appropriately or... well. He had stumbled upon a dead one or two. Skoli usually took care of those. "Is that so? I hadn't considered that yet." He hummed, thinking it over. Was there a difference between the dead bodies here and those in the desert?

He followed Etet into his work space, immediately scanning over his set up. Organized as neatly as he would have expected. Floren climbed onto the stool once it was presented, taking a moment to adjust himself before looking up to meet Etet's gaze. "Well, you are the first troll that's older than I am that I've met that has an interest in medicinal studies, and I think it's valuable to learn from someone who has been practicing longer. The bodies that you use... Do they ever change?" He tilted his head, "as in, become daywalkers? I have occasionally stumbled upon a body in the desert where I live but usually... they're walking around later if Skoli hasn't eaten them. I can see how examining a cadaver would be beneficial, but it would be very risky to bring something like that to my hive." This..wasn't really the topic he was hoping to get on but it was still interesting. Floren was more inclined to preserve and nurture life, not deal with the dead.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Oh yes." Muerte could recall a few times when he worked into the wee hours of the morning and had bodies re-animate on him. "This calls back to a mistake I've only ever made once, never twice. I find that separating the specimen into pieces can make it, erm, easier to handle. In the instance that I require a body intact for further studying, binding them works just fine. They're not very fast and they're extraordinarily dull. The real threat of them is when they swarm." Muerte readjusted his posture, "Alone, they're scarcely the same threat. Alternia, Floren, is dangerous. I would not have gotten anywhere if I hadn't taken risks. What you must do is learn methods to minimize them."

"That being said, my exposure with daywalkers is kept small, and I vastly prefer it this way. Typically, I only keep cadavers as long as I need--figure out the cause of death, learn proper methods to combat it, take the information I learn to apply to the living. In my youth I spent far more time with them. As I'm sure you're aware, there is an unfortunate lack of written resource for the things we study. There are times where I loath belonging to such a boorish race." Muerte sighed. Uncivilized brutes, the lot of them. "But I digress."

nepsah

did you mean Dialogue: the rp

 

[nepsah]

He supposed that Etet did have a point... Using the bodies of the dead to benefit the living did seem worthwhile, even if the prospect of it was less than savory to Floren. Plus, dissection did help with learning the various parts of the subject for future use on living specimens. Floren had done such things with animals that didn't make it in his care, after all. This wasn't really all that different- the subject was just.. a troll, and could possibly reanimate at any moment.

"I see... and you are right, there is hardly anything worth while concerning medicinal care written, that I could find anyway." Perhaps he just needed to get older and have more clearance? It could be worth while to rub elbows with highbloods for such favors. He already knew one, but the idea of using her privilege for such a benefit practically made his hair stand on end. No, he would avoid contact with Eridia as much as possible.

"What made you interested in this line of work? Considering its less than favored standing in society... Specifically for trolls, since it seems to be a little more understood when the patients are not trolls." Perhaps they had similar desires, even if their areas of focus were not really the same. Granted, Floren was not intending to limit himself only to veterinary care.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Well," Muerte actually cracked something of a devious, if not vaguely genuine smile. "Because I like to have an advantage over other trolls that many do not posses. We belong to a violent, angry race of creatures, Floren. Death is inevitable. Injury is inevitable. When someone looses something physically or finds themselves on the brink of passing, suddenly I have much more power over them than they ever could. But of course," Muerte clasped his hands together, "This is only a benefit. A bonus. I enjoy my practice first and foremost as a hobby. That's all."

"I suppose you were probably expecting an answer more along the lines of 'because helping others is worthwhile and fulfilling', hm?" He gave Floren a curious expression, wondering what his thoughts on the matter were.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Floren blinked, absorbing the answer. It... wasn't quite what he'd expected and yet... seemed to fit. He hummed in thought, taking a moment to mull his own thoughts over before shaking his head. "No, I don't think I had much of an assumption." He smiled a little in return, Etet likely hadn't been expecting that answer based on his last question. "I don't think we're far off in terms of reasons for studying the practice... though I do admit, it is worthwhile and fulfilling... But it is nice to be indispensable in some ways." He shrugged, "besides, there's limited power one can have in the middle castes anyway. This definitely increases that power and influence." Importance, really. Though he supposed some form of medicinal training must be required of his caste anyway. Probably. He wasn't sure, actually.

[b]"Ah- you had a medical text when I first met you... have you found many of those before? I have a very hard time locating anything worthwhile to read. Most texts seem to focus more on the ah... interrogation side of things."[b/][b]"Ah- you had a medical text when I first met you... have you found many of those before? I have a very hard time locating anything worthwhile to read. Most texts seem to focus more on the ah... interrogation side of things."[b/] Perhaps he'd try the library again - it hadn't been too fruitful last time but maybe he'd find something different with some proper advice on what to look for.

Melancholies