trans_9 | I'm an Archsage, not a Bishop [Open]

Ugh. Eventually, the tide of patients he'd had to deal with had decreased, leaving Soren finally able to take a moment to breathe. He was rather uncharacteristically slouching in his seat on the Obs Deck, staring balefully out at the view outside.

He hadn't realized what a chore it was to have to pick up healing duties. Where he came from, every army had a contingent of clerics to supplement the use of vulneraries by the common infantryman. That he'd seen none in use by the forces fighting on the ground was dismaying. He'd attempted to save what lives he was able to during the events on that moon or planet or whatever (Soren was not great with the proper scientific classifications of celestial bodies), but without adequate support, he knew a number had simply fallen through the cracks. There was only so much a single unit could do, especially with the tools at his disposal.

Healing wasn't even his specialty; he'd studied the use of staves mainly to better fill gaps in the Mercenaries' pool of abilities. Better than learning knives, at any rate. If he'd only had a Fortify staff...

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"Yer jus' a bucket'a cheer, ain'tcha?" Though the scowl on Soren's face probably matched Ellyn's pretty well, at that moment.

She hadn't made a very good showing in the battle on the Calnus, and Ellyn was still pretty sour about it. The only upside was that she'd had no idea space would affect her that badly.

It might have something to do with her pyromancy. But she didn't know for sure.

"So whadd'ya do, suck on a lemon or somethin'?"

"Nothing so pedestrian. I've merely spent an interminable amount of hours treating people who apparently have nothing better to do than complain. Complain about their wounds, complain about not needing treatment, complaining about my bedside manner..." Soren snorted. "Better uncomfortable than dead, if you ask me."

In his day, you got healed by an Archsage and you were grateful for it, dammit.

"Well, 'least ya ain't got me goin' on, right?" Even if she was. Sort of. It wasn't asking for healing, anyway.

"Guess that might kinda be the plight'a healers though. Or so I was told. Made me awfully grateful my powers di'n't turn out that way, ta tell ya the truth."

Because Ellyn could just see herself, if she had the same personality, but healing powers, telling someone off because she didn't choose to triage them immediately. Especially if THEY thought their injuries were worse than they really were.

Ellyn never did know how her mother did it. And did it with a smile, to boot.

"I suppose." Soren ran a slender hand through his bangs, irritated. "I'm not a healer. I'm an Archsage. I merely branched out into staves to better assist my mercenary troupe. If only more of this crew had had a similar inclination."

Ellyn shrugged, then. "Sad ta say, I ain't got any talent f'r anythin' but cauterizin', an' people hate seein' stuff like that go on. 'Specially when they're the ones who're burnin'."

She mused a moment, and then shrugged again. "Though I know a bit o' herb-healin', that never seemed too 'mport'nt in th' end when lots'a people knew how ta use healin' magic. Not ta mention most people seem ta not want ta be laid up, either."

"Yes, I can imagine the scent of burning flesh must be something awful." Or at least it was when he smelled it on the battlefield.

"In my opinion, every soldier ought to know those sorts of basic skills. It lightens the load on healers whose efforts would be better directed towards the more seriously injured."

The pyromancer snorted. "I do it, an' I don't like it--burnin' people, I mean." Well. Unless they really deserved it, but there weren't many pyromancers who wantonly went around turning people into human torches.

"I know bandagin' an' herbs, like I said. I wouldn't cut in to anyone, though. Prolly not a good idea." She grimaced. "Doubt I'd enjoy doin' it either, but in a ground battle, I hope I c'd put up a better showin' if I had to."

"I think few people do," said Soren. They just got used to it, that was all.

"I don't think anyone is asking you to perform impromptu surgery. But being able to properly apply bandages and use vulneraries... that's an incredibly basic skill."

"Ya got a point," Ellyn said, expression thoughtful. "Y'know, maybe someone oughtta run a class on that. Pro'ly wouldn't hurt ta pass out bandages or small first aid bundles an' teach their use. Herbals're harder 'cuz ya hafta know what they do t'make 'em really useful, but..."

Ellyn shrugged. "It's a thought."

Well, nobody had better ask Soren to do it. He hated teaching people, for the most part, and he scowled at the very idea.

"Perhaps. Though for now, I'd be content to simply never see another injured man again."

Ellyn would not be a better teacher...unless your average crewmember could learn by being bellowed at like the poor subject of an angry drill sergeant.

"Don't blame ya. Had ta take a lot outta ya," Ellyn agreed. "Ya doin' awright 'sides all that?"

Which was Ellynspeak for "I kind of consider you a friend, how's it hangin', you doing okay?"

"Hardly." Soren brushed a lock of hair back over his shoulder absently. "I'm sharing crew quarters with an idiot."

Stupid Punchy.

"Ain't there other places you c'n go?" Not that Ellyn had much to say about crew quarters--she usually made a pile of something flammable in the City and stayed there. It skipped eating the nasty gruel that passed as food, and nothing really bothered her when she was burning.

"I know there're a bunch'a places down in the City, but I'd think there'd be other places too." But she shrugged.

"No," Soren said, grimly. "Not unless I want to dust off a place for myself in one of those derelict buildings. Many of which someone has apparently been stripping the... the wiring out of, by the way. Death traps."

She grimaced at that. Ellyn hadn't noticed--but she was pretty immune to death by fire or electrical shock, in any case.

"An' ya can't move ta 'nother place in crew quarters? What 'bout that elf? That temple place is pretty big, d'ya think ya could jus' make a study fer yerself there an' just stay in it when ya got tired?"

I'm an Archsage, not a Bishop [Open]

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