[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Veldrys meets a Nuit.

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A village cut off from the rest of Mizahar by the Valterrian, slowly reestablishing contact with the outside world.

[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Veldrys on February 10th, 2012, 2:22 pm

„There is a very simple way to determine whether a plant is edible or not“, Veldrys said as he heard Laudus‘ words. „When I encounter a plant that I’m not familiar with, I will just take a small piece of it and put it into my mouth. If it burns on my tongue or if it makes me feel strange, I will throw it away. If it doesn’t burn, I will eat a little bit and see what happens. If I’m still fine, I might try a bit more. If I’m still fine after a day, the plant is usually safe to eat.“

The Symenestra had no idea that he was helping Laudus become more powerful and that he was facing an undead. He enjoyed talking about his trade and felt honored that a man who was so much older than him was interested. As Laudus admitted that he didn’t know anything of medicine, he remarked, „You should have at least basic knowledge. Knowing about poisons and making potions is of little use, if you don’t have any idea how the body works and can’t tell which illness exactly your patient is suffering from. Besides, sometimes it’s necessary to do more than just drink a potion or use a salve.“

„I can identify the most common poisonous plants of Kalea“, Veldrys replied as Laudus asked what he knew of the poisonous plants nearby. „I know what kind of effects they have, and I likewise know that some poisons can actually have a beneficial effect if you use them a certain way. My knowledge of poisons isn’t perfect though. It’s a topic that I don’t think about a lot. I’m a doctor first and foremost and a herbalist second.“
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Laudus on February 12th, 2012, 7:54 pm

As their discussion began, Laudus leaned back, hands linked, resting on his abdomen. The nuit listened as Veldrys began to pour our his knowledge, interested in what he knew. The Sym began by telling the nuit how he tested if a plant was edible or not. Laudus listened closely, trying to apply it to his own body. He would feel the burning and strangeness that Veldrys spoke about, but most of the effects some of those plants wouldn't affect. Not that he would ever have to eat it. But Laudus didn't want Veldrys to know this. He needed to keep the illusion that he was a human. So Laudus merely stated, "A good way to determine if something is edible, but I don't think it would be suitable for me. I'm much older than you are and my body wouldn't protect itself against this approach." Nothing in his body worked but the brain, so it wasn't like he had anything internal function to fight off disturbances caused by plants he was unsure about. Nor did he have a body to switch over to if it did come down to this. So for now, Laudus needed guinea pigs.

As for not knowing much about the body, Laudus didn't know about what happened inside the human body. Why would he need to? The only organ in his body that worked was his brain, so he did not need to know the bladder made urine or his lungs held oxygen. Although, Laudus pondered since it was brought to his attention, he probably needed to know the functions of bodies. Well, atleast the brain. He wouldn't want to harm the brain of possible vessels in the future by hurting it with a plant. If anything he needed to know about that organ.

Laudus didn't reply to the body, but he felt he needed to reply to Veldrys' statement about poisons. Veldrys knew about the most common poisonous plants in Kalea, their effects, and how some were beneficial effects some of them had. But he stated that he was a doctor before a poison expert, which caught Laudus' attention. In fact, he even had to reply. "It is a good thing focusing on your herbs and medicine. But I do think you need to know more than just the basics of poison. One harms the body and the other helps, but they go hand-in-hand."

Laudus paused for a second, another question coming to mind. A good question he believed. "Do you have any idea if the kelp around Denval can be used in poison-making?" Yeah, Laudus wanted to know. At the moment, he wanted to learn everything about kelp. And hopefully Veldrys knew enough to kelp Laudus.
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Veldrys on February 15th, 2012, 4:25 pm

As Laudus stated that his body wouldn’t protect itself against that approach, Veldrys nodded. It occured to him that the old man’s sense of taste and smell had likely also deteriorated somewhat, but he didn’t say that out loud. Old people often didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that their bodies didn’t work as well as they used to. „Then you probably shouldn’t try my method unless there is an emergcy“, he decided. „But keep it in mind nevertheless.“

„Maybe I should study poisons more“, he agreed. „Although the thought of dealing with such things always makes me a little uncomfortable. I’m a healer, and poisons cause harm. Some poisons can be useful, but if the dosage is wrong, if you use too much, they will affect you negatively. I’m worried that my patients die because I've made a mistake.“ He looked rather unhappy as he said that.

As Laudus asked him about kelp, he furrowed his brow. „Poison-making?“ he asked and shook his head. „Kelp isn’t a poison. It’s good for your health. It can even be used in a soup. I suppose if you eat too much of it, it might harm you, but poison-making? No, I’ve never thought about it.“

„Why do you ask? It’s a rather strange question, if I’m allowed to say that.“
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Laudus on February 16th, 2012, 11:56 pm

Laudus was glad that Veldrys accepted his statement about testing the plants himself could harm his body. It wasn't an outright lie, as his body probably wouldn't like being harmed. But really he didn't want to put his body on the line without a corpse to jump over to. And since Veldrys didn't prod him to learn more, Laudus didn't have to come up with more excuses. Laudus could probably come to the point where he liked this Sym. Someone who didn't want to know who Laudus was seemed like a good enough person in the nuit's book. That didn't stop Laudus from learning what he wanted to know, of course. Knowledge gaining wasn't always mutual. But the nuit was sure he would help Veldrys if the time were ever to come.

And plus he agreed with Laudus' judgement, which always earned good points in his book. Laudus knew he was smart, and he just loved it when others agree with that. And Laudus actually understood that it was wise to know poisons when you were a doctor. And he was going to make sure Veldrys understood that. "It isn't wrong to feel bad about knowing about poisons. I'm not even saying that you should take up the craft to harm someone. But what happens when one of your patients is dying because of a poison, and you didn't know enough of it to save him? Medicine and poisons go hand-in-hand because you can't save someone if they aren't hurt in the first place. And when you don't know why they're hurt, then they're as good as dead." Which wasn't so bad from Laudus' perspective. He enjoyed his undead life.

And Laudus wasn't even hurt that Veldrys was unsure if kelp could be used in a poison. Laudus was unsure, so he had just thrown out the question randomly. Some plants, the ones you wouldn't think would be poisonous, actually were. And he wanted to learn which one was. This one just happened to be a plant he already knew where to harvest, so he might as well ask.

And Laudus wasn't shocked when Veldrys wished to know why the nuit was asking. It was an odd question to be asked, and Laudus understood. But he wasn't going to just be straight with Veldrys. He would tell him some, but not all. "I wish to know for the sake of knowing. I wish to understand if it is possible for kelp to be liquified or crushed up to be made into a poison. Then when the time comes that I come in contact with it, I know how to handle myself. Sometimes you must question the impossible to see if it is truly impossible."

Laudus paused, letting it sink in. There were a lot of impossible barriers broken since the Valterrian. And many more waiting to be broken. Laudus was just aiding in that.
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Veldrys on February 19th, 2012, 5:31 pm

„You have a point“, Veldrys remarked. He hadn’t really looked at it that way yet. He had never had a patient who had been poisoned yet – apart from that Kelvic who had been fed Symenestra venom in some sort of crazy experiment – but that could change. „I should study that subject, if only so that I can identify poisons correctly and know how to counter them. It was probably negligient of me not to study poisons earlier.“ Although a small amount of discomfort remained, the Symenestra was convinced of Laudus‘ views now.

As Laudus explained why he had asked about the possibility of using kelp as poison, he nodded. „There is nothing wrong with wanting to know for the sake of knowing“, he remarked. „As long as you don’t abuse that knowledge. I myself am always looking to increase my knowledge. But as I said before, while eating too much kelp might harm you, I don’t think it makes a good poison, not unless you combine it with other substances. Kelp definitely doesn’t kill you.“

It was most likely a good thing that Laudus wasn’t aware that an excellent source of a poisonous substance was sitting right opposite of him. Symenestra venom dissolved organic matter and even corroded metal.

„But you said that you are familiar with the flora of Kalea as well“, he remembered. „What exactly do you know? Which plants are you familiar with? Surely you must have learned some kind of trade considering your age. I’d be most interested in hearing about it.“
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Laudus on March 2nd, 2012, 12:01 am

So sorry for the wait. Schoolwork and relatives in the hospital kept me away from the website other than checking in every now and then.

It was good to get through to Veldrys, allowing him to see the benefits of knowing and understanding poisons. Laudus didn't wish for the Sym to start poisoning others, an ironic thing to even imagine. In fact Laudus really wished to help the man. Because when he provided help, help would be returned. And it wasn't as if it was difficult to just say he needed to know poisons. He gave no particular poison to learn, or even showed. He merely told him he should, advice that used no effort. Yet it still had the same outcome; Veldrys would feel he needs to help Laudus in what he wished to know.

But the man's help didn't come in the form of an answer to his question. Veldrys didn't think kelp would harm you by itself, unless mixed with other substances. Laudus nodded, not hurt by the answer; it wasn't as if this was life or death for him. He merely pondered other possibilites. Maybe kelp needed to be crushed in a mortar and pestle, or burnt till only ashes were left. Even with his small amount of knowledge, he had come to realize that not all poisons were made from the beginning materials. Sometimes the ingredients had to be tampered with until they were something else.

While Laudus was considering this, he nearly missed the question Veldrys had for him. But he heard it, and looked at the Sym from under his hood. He stared, buying himself time before he began naming off a few random flora that came to mind. "Well my studies of the flora here might seemed broad, but after arriving in Denval, I believe I focused on the places west of Denval. By that I mean the Misty Peaks. But I do remember reading about Taka Moss, common in that area. And if you're willing to mock a stubborn woman not willing to marry, a nice Zujin flower would get the point across." Laudus mostly knew the names of plants in the region and nothing else. But during his readings, this little tidbit of knowledge stuck. It was almost humorous, if he had a sense of humor, that humans would give women a flower to symbolize their stubborness to wed.

Humans were odd, but interesting creatures.
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[The Stranger's Welcome] Dinner with the Doctor (Laudus)

Postby Veldrys on March 10th, 2012, 5:49 pm

„I’ve never studied the area surrounding the Misty Peaks“, Veldrys replied. „I’ve mostly focused on the southermost part of Kalea where I was born. I’m familiar with most of the plants as well as the animals that can be found in the forest there, but I don’t have any idea what kind of plants grow on the Misty Peaks. Would you be willing to tell me, Master Laudus? I’m always interested in an opportunity to expand my knowledge.“

„What is Taka Moss good for for example?“ he wanted to know. „And the Zujin flower. Why do you give it to a woman that is not willing to get married?“ He furrowed his brow a little as he thought about that. Veldrys knew very little about flowers and their supposed meanings, and he wasn’t particularly interested in giving flowers to women either. He doubted that Lucette, the Kelvic whose company he often enjoyed, would appreciate flowers. She’d be much happier about a piece of meat.
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