FORNACIS | MEDICAL BAY
It has been four years.
She had missed the rumbling of the Fornacis. After eight years of service aboard this ship, this had sort of become a white noise she had grown accustomed to. Annastasia could remember the first nights spent at the mansion when she returned home, how she was unable to sleep because it was so silent without the rumbling of the machinery powering the ship in flight. There was a strange sense of comfort, hearing it once more.
Still, it had only been two years since left. Die-hard habits were quickly returning to her, like second nature. A profession she felt like she never truly abandoned, only left aside temporarily in search of an alternative.
She had allowed herself to feel a moment of nostalgia, but there were tasks needed to be done now. Inside the medical bay, she'd start by taking the inventory of what they had on hand.
The Fornacis, the only airship powered by a taruva, the only airship to make it through Ysir's Void and back. In a way, Cain was literally walking through history, and the young medic couldn't help but hum to himself. His fingers slid against one side of the wall, feeling the wooden grain, and he occasionally tapped his feet against the floorboards, feeling the spring of the wood and the 'dun' or 'don' of filled and hollow spaces alike. Turning down the corridor to the medical bay, Cain knocked twice against the door, waited just enough time for someone to shout a quick 'don't come in, I'm changing' out, before pushing it open.
Ah, the sweet aroma of herbs and solutions. It was as calming as the apothecary he used to visit a couple years back, hm?
Beaming a smile at the familiar face before him, the man said, "Morning Annastasia! You didn't spend all night in here, right?"
Anna's gaze slowly left the reagents stocked in a shelf, turning to her medical comrade. She gave the man a polite bow and a modest smile. "Good morning, Cain. No, I haven't. Well, not entirely anyway."
The doctor lady noted a number on her notepad while she still remembered it, and placed it on the nearest table. "How are you today?"
"Quite chipper, really. Good weather out right now, and we're only a week from Lucidia now too!" He placed the woven basket hanging from his hand onto an unoccupied chair. There was bread there, and cheese too. Not the finest of affairs, but the kitchen hadn't quite been running yet, so Cain had taken some liberties. "Got you some breakfast, if you haven't eaten yet. What's our plan today?"
"Oh, you have my thanks. That is very thoughtful of you." She however waited for Cain to unravel the meal. Manners and all. She was still had the mannerisms of nobility ingrained from her childhood. "I was just about starting on making an inventory of our medical supplies. Lucida is a great place to stock on some fine ingredients. I figured it would be a great headstart to know what we need to get from there."
"Inventory then? Alright, I can do that, though if you don't mind, I'll probably be asking you a lot about, y'know, what it is I'm counting." Cain looked around, wondering where to start, before realizing that Annastasia hadn't actually eaten yet. "Oh, uh, don't mind me. Go on ahead. I already ate."
Did she eat breakfast after all? There was a half-quizzical smile on Cain's face as he watched her.
"Alright then, thank you. Do not worry, I will be happy to comply to any of your qustions." Annastasia grabbed the pad she had been holding earlier and handed it to Cain with a smile. Inscribed on a sheet of parchment was a neat alphabetically-ordered list. Ingredients for remedies, supplies for applying treatments, tools and anything either mundane or specific that might be needed in the medbay.
"Have you been working with plenty of ingredients before, despite being gifted with healing magicks?"
Cain took it with a nod, before wheeling over to the many cabinets present within the room. He took his time, having to recount a couple of times as he went through the dozens of dried herbs and powders. "I certainly have," he replied. "Veteran empyreans such as I have almost assuredly dabbled with medication from all sorts of places, all corners of Yuncay...though I suppose my education differs from someone with a diploma from a proper academy of medical knowledge."
While Cain was getting started on checking the various supplies in the room, Anna took him up on his offer and unraveled the basket of food on the chair. Ah, there was no ustensils to cut the bread and the cheese...
She reached for a satchel secured to her side, providing a knife. It was no surgeon's tool, rather a bladed weapon meant to be thrown. "Oh? Are you from Yuncay?"
She carefully cut herself a slice of bread, then a slice of cheese to put on her bread. It wasn't much, but it certainly was better than nothing for the morning.
"Local celebrity there, really. The crew and I did some real wild shit back then...though I suppose it's not really anything nearly as immortal as the Fornacis." Cain laughed, before frowning. He had forgotten what his count was again. "You...Anna, you're from Yuncay too, right? Private island princess?"
"Ah yes, I have heard of your crew. If memory serves right. I think my family hired you for a important job before. Something about retrieving precious stolen cargo from pirates. I am sorry about being this imprecise. Spending so much time abroad makes it difficult to get clear news from home."
She nodded solemnly. "I am not sure 'princess' would be a proper term to describe me, for my bloodline is of no royalty, but I believe you must know of my family then."
Cain blinked, surprised. "Oh, uh, really? I mean, of course, I remember that like it was yesterday! The vespers of the cloud we burst through to ambush those villains, our captain standing at the prow with twin swords alit!" Yup, now he remembered it. He ticked off a couple more items from the inventory, glad that they counted powders by the jars rather than by the weight. "But I sorta know you more because, y'know. Annastasia Fairchild? The aristocrat surgeon who got three degrees from Gokhan's finest academies at age 18? The one who could perform surgeries in the middle of the storm, who singlehandedly elevated the field of herbal medicines and then went on to go to explore the field of engineering?"
The midnight-haired man tipped his hat, half in a sign of respect and half in jest. "You were pretty popular too, y'know? Everyone can fight, but few could mend so well as you while looking as beautiful too."
Anna chuckled lightly in amusement. "Come now, I believe the rumors might be exaggerating my position. Gokhan is plenty of intellectual prodigies. I am just a doctor who had been part of this crew for some years is all." She was talented, that much she had been told before by many of her peers, but such renown just for herself would mostly be due to her parents bragging all about their prodigious child being part of the legendary Fornacis at high-class galas and such.
"What brought you to the Fornacis, Cain? You were doing quite well with Yuncay's finest, no?"
"Well, y'know...sordid love affairs turned terrible." Cain exaggerated a wince. "If it weren't for my buddy Hanswer, I'd probably be coming out of that affair much uglier than I am now."
"I am sorry to hear that." Anna however rose her barely eaten piece of bread and cheese, with a modest cheerful smile. "Here is to a new beginning though. With the legendary Fornacis crew, no less."
Cain shrugged, looking off to the side. "It's no big deal in the end. And yeah, beginnings!" He raised the object that had been in his hand as well, a jar of some strange liquid that was clearly marked as massively poisonous when applied at incorrect dosages.
"I would not drink that, if I were you." Anna joked with a slight chuckle after she finished the chunk of bread she had just taken.
"Really? I thought the skulls on the label indicated how tasty they were," the minstrel-medic replied, setting it back down. "Oh yeah, half the crew's old-timers, right? Are there any conditions I should know about? In case something acts up and you're not there to handle it, Annastasia.."
"Hmm..." Annastasia paused, looking focused for a few seconds as she tapped a finger on her chin. Her deep blue eyes grew brighter as sapphires, however short-lived as she brought herself back to attention quickly after remembering all the faces that joined the Fornacis. "Actually, returning members barely make a fifth of our current crew. "
She walked to a metal cabinet and waved over to it. The piece of furniture was just about reaching to her chest in height, with three sliding drawers. Pulling at one these, it revealed several files, on which were inscribed names. "I have been interviewing most of the crew members, old and new, and gathered whatever information about their health for the past two weeks. What they told me, it is all in this cabinet. Of course, I am expecting some to have hidden some important issues surely because they fear it might have impacted they acceptance into the Fornacis. We will see about those if unexpected problems arise."
She closed the drawer. "You can find most of everyone's health profile within these folders, as well as some personal notes for suggested medicine and treatments for those with recurring health problems. Feel free to consult them whenever the need arise."
Anna rose a finger, pensive. "Right off the top of my head, I can tell you Reyansh has the peculiar side-effect of completely changing bodies whenever he uses his teleportation ability, which I believe he named 'Flash Step'. Derevi lost the use of an arm and is constantly fatigued due to never recovering fully from Ymir's Curse. Kerry lost an eye in what I assume was a misuse of fire, she never really told me the cause but the burnt scars suggest so. There is Jakil who has stomach issues whenever he ends up eating something remotely spicy, and then Eliza whose eyes cause her to feel a burning sensation if her sunglasses are removed during day time."
"Got it. Guess I better find some time in the future to bunker down and get to reading, huh?" Cain grinned, before passing the inventory list back to Annastasia. "Take a look at this; anything we're missing in particular for pick-up at Lucidia?"
"That would be plenty useful, yes." Anna nodded in agreement, adjusting her glasses as she took the pad and scanned the list quickly. "Hmm... I had anticipated we would be running low on Vetilim and missing Aborea Fumis. They both are rare plants found mostly in Lucidia. Did you know Aborea Fumis' leaves can be turned into a potent numbing paste when applied to a wound, but they must be freshly picked to rettain their potency?"
"I know you can boil it in tea and drink it to increase your tolerance for spicy foods." Cain pulled over a stool, sitting down with his hands planted on the edge of the seat. "What's Vetilim though? Well-travelled as I am, herb-picking sessions wasn't an experience I've so often indulged in."
The doctor reached out for a glass jar stored in a shelf. Inside were what appeared to be dried white thin roots. "Vetilim is quite priceless for explorers such as ourselves. If you grind its roots to a fine dust and mix it into a poultice, it can appease your insides. Food poisonning, sickness, those types of ailments."
"Oh, like chicken noodle soup?"
"I cannot attest to this method. I was never served nor did I serve this meal as a remedy before, but I heard of it being used for as such. So yes, I suppose so, maybe only more potent I imagine."
She paused, setting the inventory list on the desk. Chicken soup, huh? Interesting. "Do you know a lot of remedies, be them traditionnal herbology or folk cures?"
"Well, y'know...honey tea for sore throats, spruce leaves to prevent teeth rot, steak and cake for depression," Cain trailed off, before flashing a bright smile. "Sound like a cook, don't I? Mom swears by it though."
Anna listened, cupping a hand to her chin, looking interested. "I imagine people find comfort in food, yes." she smiled back. "And there is nothing quite like Yuncay-fashionned meals, don't you think?"
"Only when the budget allows for it, at least. Ask chefs from all over the sky to season you some fish, and the Yuncay one will charge you a price equal to everyone else combined."
She slowly nodded in agreement. "It has been so long since the last time I have had Yuncay cuisine. I would go for a High Gardens' Delight now that we are talking about it."
"Making me feel sorry for you now, y'know? With only bread 'n cheese for breakfast."
"Oh no, please do not. I appreciate the sentiment, and it is healthier than having nothing until noon. I must admit, not eating in the morning is a bad habit I have developped over the last years." or eating anything healthy at all. Quick snacks were mostly what kept her going, with all the work she was trying to achieve for the past four years.
"That's the life of a health pro, ain't it?" Cain said. "Too concerned with other people to care for themselves."
"Maybe? Scholars are so engrossed in their researchs, proper meals are often overlooked. A trend understandably less common in the younger folk of Gokhan, I observed."
"Well, good thing I'm your assistant then. Pretty sure I've got at least one lullaby that can get you to bed before the hours become unholy."
"I... don't think you will have to go through such lengths." She scratched her head, visibly unsure. "Though if this crew is anything like the old one, be prepared to stay up at night tend to the results of many... mishaps."
"Mishaps of the embarrassingly sexual kind, or?"
"Yes and no." Anna coughed up the response as she remembered something along those lines. "Accidents of all sorts. Carelessness, inebriated decisions, I'm sure you can imagine."
"Even the legendary Fornacis mucks up, huh? Mornings are usually dead then?"
"Let us say the Fornacis' success is largely due to the efforts of the whole crew working together and especially of its leadership. It surely would not have been what it was without Xander and Branka. It is mostly our job to make sure one's ailment will not affect the others. like a faulty cog needing repairs to keep the machine functionnal."
"Ah but do not worry much about it. It sounds worse than it actually is. It is mostly quiet here. The incidents are occasionnal at best in frequency. Accidents and mishaps tend to go down as everyone get more familiar with their job and their new surroundings."
"Carelessness and familiarity, the twinned banes of a veteran," Cain responded, with a dramatic flipping of his hair. "By the by, been meaning to ask, but who's the captain now anyhow?"
Annastasia looked pensive for a few seconds. "Some of the old crew are strongly loyal to Branka, even though she is still unconscious. Delphini is not going to accept having a new captain either while she is still alive. Right now, I believe the old crew are collectively making decisions, but Delphini is the ship itself and knows a lot of what needs to be done."
The minstrel-medic nodded along, more or less satisfied with the response.
"Welp, the work of us healers doesn't really change no matter who's captain, eh?"
"The nature of our work does not indeed. Although the frequency of said work entirely depends on the captain's decision-making skills and/or attitude." She sighed, remembering some eventful scenes. Definitely saw the results of some strange decisions taken, or lack thereof.
"Well here's to hoping that Izma-style leadership is what keeps the reckless ones from becoming suicidally so, mm? Sure it'll be a good chunk easier without Lucky tossing her leg around."
"I am optimistic. Everything will be alright."
Silence was however met at the mention of Lucky. It had been a good while since the last time she heard from her. And she still hasn't returned...
"So you know of Lucky. Have you heard or seen her in recent years?"
"Not since the Ysir's Void thing." Cain stopped, blinking, before continue hurriedly. "Or, like, ever, really. Just the stories, y'know? The stories."
"I see." Annastasia replied with a tone that faintly betrayed the slight disappointment of having no new leads on Lucky's whereabouts. She sat silently by her desk and took a few more bites of the breakfast Cain brought in the medbay, lost in thoughts.
Cain let out a sigh himself, before slapping himself on the cheeks. Right, time to read up all those reports!
She had missed the rumbling of the Fornacis. After eight years of service aboard this ship, this had sort of become a white noise she had grown accustomed to. Annastasia could remember the first nights spent at the mansion when she returned home, how she was unable to sleep because it was so silent without the rumbling of the machinery powering the ship in flight. There was a strange sense of comfort, hearing it once more.
Still, it had only been two years since left. Die-hard habits were quickly returning to her, like second nature. A profession she felt like she never truly abandoned, only left aside temporarily in search of an alternative.
She had allowed herself to feel a moment of nostalgia, but there were tasks needed to be done now. Inside the medical bay, she'd start by taking the inventory of what they had on hand.
The Fornacis, the only airship powered by a taruva, the only airship to make it through Ysir's Void and back. In a way, Cain was literally walking through history, and the young medic couldn't help but hum to himself. His fingers slid against one side of the wall, feeling the wooden grain, and he occasionally tapped his feet against the floorboards, feeling the spring of the wood and the 'dun' or 'don' of filled and hollow spaces alike. Turning down the corridor to the medical bay, Cain knocked twice against the door, waited just enough time for someone to shout a quick 'don't come in, I'm changing' out, before pushing it open.
Ah, the sweet aroma of herbs and solutions. It was as calming as the apothecary he used to visit a couple years back, hm?
Beaming a smile at the familiar face before him, the man said, "Morning Annastasia! You didn't spend all night in here, right?"
Anna's gaze slowly left the reagents stocked in a shelf, turning to her medical comrade. She gave the man a polite bow and a modest smile. "Good morning, Cain. No, I haven't. Well, not entirely anyway."
The doctor lady noted a number on her notepad while she still remembered it, and placed it on the nearest table. "How are you today?"
"Quite chipper, really. Good weather out right now, and we're only a week from Lucidia now too!" He placed the woven basket hanging from his hand onto an unoccupied chair. There was bread there, and cheese too. Not the finest of affairs, but the kitchen hadn't quite been running yet, so Cain had taken some liberties. "Got you some breakfast, if you haven't eaten yet. What's our plan today?"
"Oh, you have my thanks. That is very thoughtful of you." She however waited for Cain to unravel the meal. Manners and all. She was still had the mannerisms of nobility ingrained from her childhood. "I was just about starting on making an inventory of our medical supplies. Lucida is a great place to stock on some fine ingredients. I figured it would be a great headstart to know what we need to get from there."
"Inventory then? Alright, I can do that, though if you don't mind, I'll probably be asking you a lot about, y'know, what it is I'm counting." Cain looked around, wondering where to start, before realizing that Annastasia hadn't actually eaten yet. "Oh, uh, don't mind me. Go on ahead. I already ate."
Did she eat breakfast after all? There was a half-quizzical smile on Cain's face as he watched her.
"Alright then, thank you. Do not worry, I will be happy to comply to any of your qustions." Annastasia grabbed the pad she had been holding earlier and handed it to Cain with a smile. Inscribed on a sheet of parchment was a neat alphabetically-ordered list. Ingredients for remedies, supplies for applying treatments, tools and anything either mundane or specific that might be needed in the medbay.
"Have you been working with plenty of ingredients before, despite being gifted with healing magicks?"
Cain took it with a nod, before wheeling over to the many cabinets present within the room. He took his time, having to recount a couple of times as he went through the dozens of dried herbs and powders. "I certainly have," he replied. "Veteran empyreans such as I have almost assuredly dabbled with medication from all sorts of places, all corners of Yuncay...though I suppose my education differs from someone with a diploma from a proper academy of medical knowledge."
While Cain was getting started on checking the various supplies in the room, Anna took him up on his offer and unraveled the basket of food on the chair. Ah, there was no ustensils to cut the bread and the cheese...
She reached for a satchel secured to her side, providing a knife. It was no surgeon's tool, rather a bladed weapon meant to be thrown. "Oh? Are you from Yuncay?"
She carefully cut herself a slice of bread, then a slice of cheese to put on her bread. It wasn't much, but it certainly was better than nothing for the morning.
"Local celebrity there, really. The crew and I did some real wild shit back then...though I suppose it's not really anything nearly as immortal as the Fornacis." Cain laughed, before frowning. He had forgotten what his count was again. "You...Anna, you're from Yuncay too, right? Private island princess?"
"Ah yes, I have heard of your crew. If memory serves right. I think my family hired you for a important job before. Something about retrieving precious stolen cargo from pirates. I am sorry about being this imprecise. Spending so much time abroad makes it difficult to get clear news from home."
She nodded solemnly. "I am not sure 'princess' would be a proper term to describe me, for my bloodline is of no royalty, but I believe you must know of my family then."
Cain blinked, surprised. "Oh, uh, really? I mean, of course, I remember that like it was yesterday! The vespers of the cloud we burst through to ambush those villains, our captain standing at the prow with twin swords alit!" Yup, now he remembered it. He ticked off a couple more items from the inventory, glad that they counted powders by the jars rather than by the weight. "But I sorta know you more because, y'know. Annastasia Fairchild? The aristocrat surgeon who got three degrees from Gokhan's finest academies at age 18? The one who could perform surgeries in the middle of the storm, who singlehandedly elevated the field of herbal medicines and then went on to go to explore the field of engineering?"
The midnight-haired man tipped his hat, half in a sign of respect and half in jest. "You were pretty popular too, y'know? Everyone can fight, but few could mend so well as you while looking as beautiful too."
Anna chuckled lightly in amusement. "Come now, I believe the rumors might be exaggerating my position. Gokhan is plenty of intellectual prodigies. I am just a doctor who had been part of this crew for some years is all." She was talented, that much she had been told before by many of her peers, but such renown just for herself would mostly be due to her parents bragging all about their prodigious child being part of the legendary Fornacis at high-class galas and such.
"What brought you to the Fornacis, Cain? You were doing quite well with Yuncay's finest, no?"
"Well, y'know...sordid love affairs turned terrible." Cain exaggerated a wince. "If it weren't for my buddy Hanswer, I'd probably be coming out of that affair much uglier than I am now."
"I am sorry to hear that." Anna however rose her barely eaten piece of bread and cheese, with a modest cheerful smile. "Here is to a new beginning though. With the legendary Fornacis crew, no less."
Cain shrugged, looking off to the side. "It's no big deal in the end. And yeah, beginnings!" He raised the object that had been in his hand as well, a jar of some strange liquid that was clearly marked as massively poisonous when applied at incorrect dosages.
"I would not drink that, if I were you." Anna joked with a slight chuckle after she finished the chunk of bread she had just taken.
"Really? I thought the skulls on the label indicated how tasty they were," the minstrel-medic replied, setting it back down. "Oh yeah, half the crew's old-timers, right? Are there any conditions I should know about? In case something acts up and you're not there to handle it, Annastasia.."
"Hmm..." Annastasia paused, looking focused for a few seconds as she tapped a finger on her chin. Her deep blue eyes grew brighter as sapphires, however short-lived as she brought herself back to attention quickly after remembering all the faces that joined the Fornacis. "Actually, returning members barely make a fifth of our current crew. "
She walked to a metal cabinet and waved over to it. The piece of furniture was just about reaching to her chest in height, with three sliding drawers. Pulling at one these, it revealed several files, on which were inscribed names. "I have been interviewing most of the crew members, old and new, and gathered whatever information about their health for the past two weeks. What they told me, it is all in this cabinet. Of course, I am expecting some to have hidden some important issues surely because they fear it might have impacted they acceptance into the Fornacis. We will see about those if unexpected problems arise."
She closed the drawer. "You can find most of everyone's health profile within these folders, as well as some personal notes for suggested medicine and treatments for those with recurring health problems. Feel free to consult them whenever the need arise."
Anna rose a finger, pensive. "Right off the top of my head, I can tell you Reyansh has the peculiar side-effect of completely changing bodies whenever he uses his teleportation ability, which I believe he named 'Flash Step'. Derevi lost the use of an arm and is constantly fatigued due to never recovering fully from Ymir's Curse. Kerry lost an eye in what I assume was a misuse of fire, she never really told me the cause but the burnt scars suggest so. There is Jakil who has stomach issues whenever he ends up eating something remotely spicy, and then Eliza whose eyes cause her to feel a burning sensation if her sunglasses are removed during day time."
"Got it. Guess I better find some time in the future to bunker down and get to reading, huh?" Cain grinned, before passing the inventory list back to Annastasia. "Take a look at this; anything we're missing in particular for pick-up at Lucidia?"
"That would be plenty useful, yes." Anna nodded in agreement, adjusting her glasses as she took the pad and scanned the list quickly. "Hmm... I had anticipated we would be running low on Vetilim and missing Aborea Fumis. They both are rare plants found mostly in Lucidia. Did you know Aborea Fumis' leaves can be turned into a potent numbing paste when applied to a wound, but they must be freshly picked to rettain their potency?"
"I know you can boil it in tea and drink it to increase your tolerance for spicy foods." Cain pulled over a stool, sitting down with his hands planted on the edge of the seat. "What's Vetilim though? Well-travelled as I am, herb-picking sessions wasn't an experience I've so often indulged in."
The doctor reached out for a glass jar stored in a shelf. Inside were what appeared to be dried white thin roots. "Vetilim is quite priceless for explorers such as ourselves. If you grind its roots to a fine dust and mix it into a poultice, it can appease your insides. Food poisonning, sickness, those types of ailments."
"Oh, like chicken noodle soup?"
"I cannot attest to this method. I was never served nor did I serve this meal as a remedy before, but I heard of it being used for as such. So yes, I suppose so, maybe only more potent I imagine."
She paused, setting the inventory list on the desk. Chicken soup, huh? Interesting. "Do you know a lot of remedies, be them traditionnal herbology or folk cures?"
"Well, y'know...honey tea for sore throats, spruce leaves to prevent teeth rot, steak and cake for depression," Cain trailed off, before flashing a bright smile. "Sound like a cook, don't I? Mom swears by it though."
Anna listened, cupping a hand to her chin, looking interested. "I imagine people find comfort in food, yes." she smiled back. "And there is nothing quite like Yuncay-fashionned meals, don't you think?"
"Only when the budget allows for it, at least. Ask chefs from all over the sky to season you some fish, and the Yuncay one will charge you a price equal to everyone else combined."
She slowly nodded in agreement. "It has been so long since the last time I have had Yuncay cuisine. I would go for a High Gardens' Delight now that we are talking about it."
"Making me feel sorry for you now, y'know? With only bread 'n cheese for breakfast."
"Oh no, please do not. I appreciate the sentiment, and it is healthier than having nothing until noon. I must admit, not eating in the morning is a bad habit I have developped over the last years." or eating anything healthy at all. Quick snacks were mostly what kept her going, with all the work she was trying to achieve for the past four years.
"That's the life of a health pro, ain't it?" Cain said. "Too concerned with other people to care for themselves."
"Maybe? Scholars are so engrossed in their researchs, proper meals are often overlooked. A trend understandably less common in the younger folk of Gokhan, I observed."
"Well, good thing I'm your assistant then. Pretty sure I've got at least one lullaby that can get you to bed before the hours become unholy."
"I... don't think you will have to go through such lengths." She scratched her head, visibly unsure. "Though if this crew is anything like the old one, be prepared to stay up at night tend to the results of many... mishaps."
"Mishaps of the embarrassingly sexual kind, or?"
"Yes and no." Anna coughed up the response as she remembered something along those lines. "Accidents of all sorts. Carelessness, inebriated decisions, I'm sure you can imagine."
"Even the legendary Fornacis mucks up, huh? Mornings are usually dead then?"
"Let us say the Fornacis' success is largely due to the efforts of the whole crew working together and especially of its leadership. It surely would not have been what it was without Xander and Branka. It is mostly our job to make sure one's ailment will not affect the others. like a faulty cog needing repairs to keep the machine functionnal."
"Ah but do not worry much about it. It sounds worse than it actually is. It is mostly quiet here. The incidents are occasionnal at best in frequency. Accidents and mishaps tend to go down as everyone get more familiar with their job and their new surroundings."
"Carelessness and familiarity, the twinned banes of a veteran," Cain responded, with a dramatic flipping of his hair. "By the by, been meaning to ask, but who's the captain now anyhow?"
Annastasia looked pensive for a few seconds. "Some of the old crew are strongly loyal to Branka, even though she is still unconscious. Delphini is not going to accept having a new captain either while she is still alive. Right now, I believe the old crew are collectively making decisions, but Delphini is the ship itself and knows a lot of what needs to be done."
The minstrel-medic nodded along, more or less satisfied with the response.
"Welp, the work of us healers doesn't really change no matter who's captain, eh?"
"The nature of our work does not indeed. Although the frequency of said work entirely depends on the captain's decision-making skills and/or attitude." She sighed, remembering some eventful scenes. Definitely saw the results of some strange decisions taken, or lack thereof.
"Well here's to hoping that Izma-style leadership is what keeps the reckless ones from becoming suicidally so, mm? Sure it'll be a good chunk easier without Lucky tossing her leg around."
"I am optimistic. Everything will be alright."
Silence was however met at the mention of Lucky. It had been a good while since the last time she heard from her. And she still hasn't returned...
"So you know of Lucky. Have you heard or seen her in recent years?"
"Not since the Ysir's Void thing." Cain stopped, blinking, before continue hurriedly. "Or, like, ever, really. Just the stories, y'know? The stories."
"I see." Annastasia replied with a tone that faintly betrayed the slight disappointment of having no new leads on Lucky's whereabouts. She sat silently by her desk and took a few more bites of the breakfast Cain brought in the medbay, lost in thoughts.
Cain let out a sigh himself, before slapping himself on the cheeks. Right, time to read up all those reports!
FORNACIS | MEDICAL BAY
It had been several minutes. Nuungat hoped that the doctor couldn't see xir shadow underneath the door, idling as xe worked towards knocking. Xe had wondered why walking here had been so easy; that part had been almost relaxing. Familiar. Part of xir hoped that this wouldn't be familiar to Annastasia, but of course it would be. If anyone here would remember Nuun, it would be her. Though, she did have a lot of patients, so maybe...? Sighing, xe brought xir fist down on the door.
The sound coming from outside the office roused Annastasia's attention. She allowed her focus to waver, placing a bookmark, more from habit than necessity, between the pages of the engineering book she was studying before closing it and setting it on her desk. She hadn't realize her door was closed. Must've been her last visitor. A new recruit, she recalled. The old crew of the Fornacis had grown used to her door always being opened, except when she was in the middle of an appointment with a member of the crew.
"Please come in. The door is unlocked." she softly called out, rising from her seat to reach for the white overcoat hanging not too far from the check-up table.
Maybe half a minute later, Nuungat entered the room. "Hello... are you doing well?" xe asked a bit quietly, closing the door behind xir.
Anna recognized the figure entering the office quite well. After all, she doesn't think anyone was ever as diligent as showing up at their check-ups as xe did. "Hello Nuungat. Yes, I am, thank you for asking. Are you as well? How have you been? "
"Yes, I've been doing alright. It's been a while, huh?" xe forced a small laugh, trying to be nonchalant. Xe'd had a lot of practice doing that, but this time, xe wasn't sure how well it worked.
"Indeed, it has been. It is good seeing you back on the crew." She smiled faintly. "Is there something I can do for you today?"
"You as well. I'm here for my checkup... you- you're doing those, right? Or am I mistaken?"
"I certainly do. I have returned to being on my old medical duties for the crew." Anna nodded positively. "You can also see with Cain if I am unavailable, if you need immediate healing or feel generally more comfortable checking in with him."
Nuun nodded absently in response, eyes passing over the shelves of bottles and books. "You've reestablished yourself pretty well, it looks like," xe said, taking a step toward the wall in order to better read some of the labels.
"We still have a few missing reagents for more complex remedies, but I believe our basic needs are covered for the moment, yes." Anna brought a quaint wooden stool near the much larger medical slab. "Will you still serve as our navigator?"
Xe nodded, coming to stand next to the slab. "Mhm."
Anna rose a hand, inviting Nuungat to sit on the slab as per her usual procedure. "Can you tell me if there is anything you have noticed changing in the past years. Severe injuries, disease, anything?"
Xe sat. "No... nothing since- nothing of note in the past few years."
"Very good. Have you been keeping yourself in shape?"
"Yes. Even better than before, I think."
"Keeping yourself physically active during that time period?"
"Yes, plenty. Practicing my dueling." Nuun gave another laugh.
"Alright. Now if I may check on your vitals. Be still, breathe in and out."
Anna closed her eyes, bringing a gentle hand to Nuungat's neck. The tip of her fingers softly pressing against the jugular. With her magically-enhanced focus brought to her sense of touch, she could feel the blood pulsating against her fingertips. The ease at which it flowed through the veins and traveled within the body.
One... two... three...
Her hand trailed down to xir chest, stopping at the heart. There, she rested her palm and pressed lightly against the skin. She could feel the heart as if it was beating within her hand. A healthy rhythm, if not slightly faster than the average, but nothing she wasn't used to.
She removed her hand from xir chest, looking pleased. "You are just as healthy inside as you have always been. Even better, as you suggested."
Nuun raised xir shoulders slightly. "I'm glad to have that confirmation. I, ah, what do you mean, 'inside'? Is there- did you find something else?"
"Your heart is beating slightly slower than a healthy individual's, and your blood is flowing through your body with no obstruction whatsoever. It is a good thing, I assure you."
The doctor retrieved a pair of gloves from a nearby drawer, putting them on "Now if you may open your mouth, please?"
Xe ran a tongue over xir teeth quickly before opening. Hopefully there were no lingering pieces of food there; Nuun didn't want to make Anna's job any more unpleasant than it needed to be.
Anna adjusted her glasses, her blue eyes glowing faintly as she channelled her focus to her sight. It certainly didn't make her see in darker areas, but it at least helped her discern things out of the ordinary.
Of course she found very few traces of food stuck at various places in the mouth, but that's something she always was expecting. It's not like she was expecting everyone aboard to be carrying toothpicks or practice strict dental hygiene. Still, none of it mattered. Her focus was entirely on finding bucal anomalies. Uvula. tonsils, palate, tongue, gingivae, teeth, lips. Fascinating.
"Everything seems in order. You're taking good care of yourself."
"Oh, that's good to know. Is that- would that be all, then?"
"Nearly done. There is one last examination I would like you to partake in." Annastasia said as she made her way to the painting of a colorful garden. She flipped the painting, its back end revealing a random assortment of letters, from which the letters keep getting smaller as the rows scrolled down.
"Can you read me what is written on this board?"
"Ah, okay, it's... F, B, C, P, T, E, O, B, Z, F, E, D... O, F, C, L, T, B, F... E? P, O, L, F, D, Z. And, these next ones are a bit difficult...."
"A perfectly fine result. Thank you."
Anna noted the results of her examinations and compared them with the four years-old file she had kept. She stopped at the last entry on the old entry, frowning slightly. Right...
Her gaze returned to Nuungat, serious. "Has there been any progress on your right side? Did it get better over time?"
"Y- uh... mm...." Xe knew xe wasn't a good liar. "It's... yeah, it's gotten better...."
"Are you sure?" Anna insisted, her words suspecting another truth. "It is important I know of any changes to your health, especially concerning the effects of Ysir's curse."
"It... well," Nuun bit xir lip, eyes shifting toward the shelved bottles. Xe wished xe could read them from here, though xe knew that wouldn't do any good. "It has gotten better, but... not by that much...."
"Oh?" Anna rose an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Could you elaborate on those improvements?"
"It's probably mostly in the regard that I've grown used to it.... It- I've found ways to get around it, and it's not as debilitating as before. I feel stronger, but maybe that's just because the fatigue.... I'm not entirely sure what the case is."
"Hmm... becoming used to and finding ways around it. You have been learning to rely on your left side in your everyday life for the past years, correct? Would you say this upset in your affected area would have caused you to train more than usually?"
Nuungat silently nodded.
"Alright then. It is only natural for you to adapt, however we cannot have your right side become atrophied, whether by a lack of activity or because of Ymir's curse becoming more potent on inactive limbs. There is still so much uncertainties to this ailment."
Annastasia scribbled notes on the new file entry. "I am prescribing you at least half-a-hour of physical exercises to your right side. Weight-lifting only, with both your arm and leg in alternate. Start at half what you can with your left side at first, then we will monitor if you can go for more afterwards.Due to the fatigue issue, I suggest you do those exercises after your regular training routine."
After making sure Nuungat was fine with the proposed course of action, Anna terminated the medical checkup and bade goodbye to the ship's navigator. After adding a few more notes, she stored the file into the cabinet and sighed, satisfied.
Well, it didn't take long for her to bounce back to this routine.
