[The Infirmary] Helping People Back To Their Feet (Satevis)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOC"...arguing with Tock would take too much time" LOL! Yup, that's my girl! Minerva nodded to him. "Oy, yer welcome back anytime, mate!" she said. "Though I's gonna be finishin' up part o' er fore ya come by tomorrow, most likely. But whatever I ain't got done by the time ya stop by, ya can watch." She waved to him on the way out, then settled in to get some rest. The next morning, she was up bright and early to work on finishing up her animation. James stopped by in the morning to check on her, and she made him lift her from the bed and help her into the circle. They chatted briefly, but he had to get to work, and couldn't stay to watch the magic. She reached out to the newly formed soul of her creation, and started the link. Her body and the device's began to glow, the light reaching out across the link between the circles, and she felt her soul touch the Automaton's. It was then that she could begin transferring knowledge into it. She couldn't truly sculpt a complex personality. Not yet. But she was able to imprint some basic commands and Directives. She started with a simple set of Directives to dictate the creation's purpose: 1. Loyalty to Minerva 2. Safety of Minerva (Don't let me fall!) 3. Inflict no harm (Don't step on anyone's toes!) 4. Cause no damage or disruptions (Don't bump into anything or knock anything over!) She then imbued the basic knowledge the Automaton needed to obey her commands. The spring-mounted metal disks had been attached for this purpose. The joints on the Automaton would move based on how she pressed her fingers against the discs. She imbued into it the basic knowledge of how she would direct it, and what type of motion on the discs would dictate direction, speed, and mobility. The commands were very basic, and the Automaton wouldn't be considered sentient by any standards. It would simply respond and obey, with the most basic of movements. This still took quite awhile for her, though, considering how inexperienced she was. Going over every command, every motion the Automaton would need to know left her feeling mentally exhausted, and she needed a break.

[Satevis]

OOCPardon the brief introduction here, just wanted to show what else Satevis does when he's not helping Tock. And she gets fresh baked goods out of it, so...everyone wins, lol.

72nd Day of Spring, 512 AV

When Satevis entered the boy's room, he found a surprise waiting for him. He had become accustomed to walking in to seeing the boy there, and more often than not, his mother sitting beside him. Today, however, there was a new person in the room, a young dark-haired girl of about fourteen, who was sitting on the bed and chatting excitedly with the patient. She looked up at him as he entered and blushed slightly. Satevis averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable. He always hated the attention his Ethaefal form drew.

"Yeah, see, sis?" asked the boy, grinning and pointing at Satevis. "This is the goat-man I was telling you about!"

Goat...man...? thought Satevis, cringing slightly. The boy's mother gave him an apologetic smile, and he returned it with a smile of her own, assuring her that all was well. He walked up to the boy. There was a sweet smell in the room that he couldn't quite place.

"The doctor says I can go home today!" he said. "Mama and Ella came to get me."

"Oh, really?" asked Satevis, pulling up the stool beside the bed and giving the boy an indulgent smile. "Then let me work on your wounds one more time, for the road." The boy's injuries were half-healed now, but once Satevis stopped aging them, they would heal at the normal rate. Still, the worst was over now. He doubted they would bother him too much. He went over the healing process quickly, then stood up to leave. Another bed freed up for the hospital. Now there was just Tock's room left for the night.

A hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to see the boy's mother sitting by her son, a smile on her face. "I wanted to thank you for helping him," she said, picking up a small box from beside her. "I wasn't sure what your people liked to eat, but I baked some tarts today. You're welcome to them."

Ah, so that was the smell. Fresh baked tarts. His Benshira form would have found them mouthwatering, but in his Ethaefal form, food of any sort didn't appeal to him. He didn't require it. He smiled anyway, accepting the gift graciously. "Thank you. You didn't have to. I was happy to help your son." he said. "I'll save them for later." He was sure they would make a lovely breakfast once the sun rose.

The girl, Ella, also stopped him. "Um..." she said, not looking at his eyes. "I made this for you too...for helping my little brother. Mama said you were a follower of Leth, so..." She opened her hands, looking away. Satevis stared, surprised. The girl had made a simple necklace for him, nothing more than a carved wooden bead on the end of a piece of string. The carving was rough, nothing intricate. But the bead had been shaped like a crescent moon, Leth's symbol, and had been painted a white color, outlined in silver. He was surprised. In all honesty, he didn't think he had been doing much. Just taking a few moments out of every day to help the boy heal.

He was surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise. The girl shifted, embarrassed. "Um...I know it's not much...I'm still learning..."

"It's a gracious gift," he said, accepting it from her. He gave her a grateful smile. "I'll cherish it."

She blushed a deep red, and Satevis took that as his cue to leave, taking the tarts with him and making an exit that he hoped did not look as hasty as it felt. He exhaled softly in the hallway, walking towards Tock's room with the box of tarts in one hand and the girl's charm in the other. As much as he preferred his Ethaefal form, he almost couldn't wait for morning.

He frowned as he turned the corner, his mind going through the nurse's earlier complaints. She had jumped out at him as he entered the infirmary, and for a moment, he had been startled, thinking that she was going to attack him. She did have that crazed, almost desperate look in her eye.

"You've got to stop her! She was out of bed this morning--out of bed--working on that gods-forsaken contraption! Won't listen to a word I say... and so on, and so on, ad nauseum. Satevis sighed. It had been three days. How had he already gained the reputation of being Tock's keeper?

He stopped in front of the door of the girl in question. In spite of himself, he was wondering how she was doing with that automaton. The question had been plaguing him all day, but he had managed to focus through his classes. He knocked on the door. "Tock, it's Satevis." he announced. "I'm coming in."

He opened the door, stepping into the room and cautiously avoiding the circles. Satevis set the box of tarts and the charm on the end table, walking up to the bed. He had no idea how the aroma of fresh baked tarts filled the room as he entered, his Ethaefal form being completely oblivious to it. His mind was more on the girl in front of him and the thing she had designed. "Apparently, you're giving the medical staff a bit of a headache," he said, sighing slightly. "So they sent me in here to talk to you..."

He already had a feeling she wouldn't listen.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Oy, 'ey's givin' ME a 'eadache," Tock replied, eying the sweet smelling box. "'Ow's a girl supposed ta get any work done 'round 'ere!? All day long it's, 'quit makin' noise,' an', 'can't ya do 'at someplace else?' Oy, I can't wait 'til I CAN do 'er someplace else!" She carefully pushed herself up on one foot, something she was getting a lot of practice at lately, and stood up, leaning on the wall for balance. A bit wobbly with her aching injured foot held up off the ground, she hopped out of the circle and over to Satevis. Then, leaning on him with one hand, she retrieved the box he was carrying with the other. "Oy, ya brought me some tuckers!" she said. "Good show, mate!" It never occurred to her that they might not be for her or that he might not want to share. She just reached in and grabbed a tart, and unless he stopped her, would pop of eagerly into her mouth. Her foot was killing her. The pain had moved from the initial, excruciating agony phase to the constant, dull, biting ache phase. The constant moving around wasn't helping her any, either. Clinging to Satevis' shoulder, she nodded to the bed and said, "Oy, gimme a 'and, aye? All 'is work wears a girl out, it does!" Once she was settled back in bed, she'd wait for the all important magic touch. She still wished she could get healed up faster than two weeks, but tomorrow morning she'd have her new 'legs' operational, and then she wouldn't be stuck here anymore. It was just too bad she couldn't make magic crutches for everyone in the Infirmary. Well, she could, but it would take FOREVER. Maybe she could make them all some regular pairs, though. The Infirmary had a shortage of them right now, after all.

[Satevis]

"Well, it can't be helped," said Satevis with a sigh as he listened to Tock's complaints. "They're doing their jobs, just as we're doing ours. The majority of them are students as well, and the end of term makes tempers run high on all sides." Even he, for all his patience, had come within a hair's breadth of snapping at one of the astronomy students today. He nearly winced at the memory. It didn't help that Professor Cyril--as much as he liked the man--was a bit of a scatterbrain.

His eyes widened as Tock leaned on him, grabbing the box of tarts with one hand and taking one. "Wait, that isn't--" he began, but it was too late. Tock had popped the fruit tart in her mouth. He sighed. "...yours..." he finished lamely, setting the box down on the side and turning towards her. He supposed the damage had been done. "The mother of a boy I helped gave them to me today," he explained. "But help yourself to some while they're still warm. I don't eat while in this form in any case."

As he spoke, he obligingly helped her back into bed. Dealing with Tock, he decided, was a lot like performing reimancy with fire. You couldn't quite tell it where to go and attempting to manhandle it would only get yourself burned. You just pointed it in the right direction, hoped for the best, and prayed that whatever it burned wouldn't be you.

Satevis made sure the girl was fully in bed before stepping back, turning his attention to her foot. He closed his eyes, once again making use of his Ethaefal abilities. At this point, the injury was now five days old, although it had only happened three days ago. He'd heard that breaks in the foot usually took anywhere between three to six weeks to heal, so depending on her body, she would probably start to feel signs of healing sometime between now and tomorrow.

He almost wished he had time to study medicine as well. The human body was a fascinating thing.

"Is that feeling any better?" he asked, turning towards her.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOC"You just pointed it in the right direction, hoped for the best, and prayed that whatever it burned wouldn't be you." ...YUP! That's my girl! Tock arched an eyebrow at what Satevis said, quite curious about it. "Ya don't eat?" she asked, scratching her head. "'Ow's 'at? I mean, ya gotta get energy somewhere, aye? Ain't nothin' fer free, I know 'at much..." He had to be powered by something, whether it was food, or Djed, or... whatever. Once she was settled in and the healing magic was done again, she gave her foot a tentative wiggle, and winced at the jolt of pain that came as a result. "A little, I guess," she said. "Better 'an the first day, anyway." The progress was slow, and she didn't really feel any different, but it wasn't excruciating anymore. That was something. She helped herself to another tart, since he'd offered. It was way better than the crud food they served in the Infirmary. She was getting tired of the same thing over and over again, even if it was only the third night. Though she'd be up and about tomorrow. No matter what. "Oy, think ya could do me another favor?" she asked. "Well, kinda a favor fer everyone else, I suppose. I need ta make more crutches. 'Ey's all out, 'ey said. Ain't nothin' tough. I gots all the tools I need. But I don't got no extra wood lyin' 'round. I figure, if'n ya bring me 'nough wood, I can make a pair o' crutches in 'bout, oh, 'alf 'our's work, tops. Not magic ones, 'course. Jus' regular. But I could work on 'em after I's done wit' mine. Gimme somethin' ta do, aye? Til I get back ta my regular work, 'at is." She gave him a grin, hoping he'd say yes. "Just need 'nough wood. I got the specs all ready..." she handed him a piece of paper. Unlike the last list, this one really was short. Just wooden poles, nails, and small boards for the under arm pieces. "Much as ya can find, aye? More wood ya gather up, more people I can get back on 'eir feet..."

[Satevis]

Satevis shook his head. "I eat during the day," he explained. "At night, a small amount of moonlight is enough to sustain me. But even during the day, I don't eat much." He usually kept himself to one small meal per day, to get the edge off of his hunger. Unless he was starving, he had gotten a lot of exercise, or hunger was interfering with his being able to focus on his studies, there wasn't much of a point to eating anything else. He knew he wouldn't be hungry anymore once darkness fell. It helped that his people were nomadic, so he was used to getting food when it was available.

"It is...one of the traits we retained from our time spent in Syna and Leth's company," he added. He kept himself from reminiscing too much on his years in the Ukalas, knowing the pain it would bring him. He missed Leth terribly, but he would admit to missing Syna as well. The lady had been...warm. He could see why his lord was enamored with her, and as a son of the desert, he had a healthy respect for the goddess of the sun. His stare became far-off as he thought about the times he had spent there, in the company of his fellow Ethaefal.

"But enough of that," he said, forcing a smile on his face and shaking his head. The smile didn't reach his violet eyes. "I'm sure I could find wood for you. It's a great idea, and you might be able to get the hospital staff to leave you alone if they know you're building something for them." He was sure they would be pleased once he told him that she would be building crutches for them. Perhaps they would also stop asking him to do something about her.

He watched as she took another tart. There were only half a dozen in the box. Fruit was still scarce, even though they were receiving food from Syliras and from the trading ships. Mostly it was fish, another reason for him to eat as little as possible. He didn't particularly care for fish, not having experience with them in the desert. He would save three tarts for himself, he decided. Not eating any of the woman's gracious gift would be disrespectful to her.

"I'll bring some back tonight, and bring more when I come in tomorrow," he said, taking the list from her and slipping it into his pocket. "How does that sound?"

He had kept himself from asking about the automaton, not wanting to appear too eager, but now that the healing was done and they had discussed other things, he supposed that it would be a good time. "Have you made any progress on the automaton?" he asked.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Ya drink moonlight?" Tock asked, scratching her head. "Whazzit taste like?" She couldn't begin to imagine. But she was suddenly very curious about it. It also raised all kinds of other questions. "Oy, if'n ya drink moonlight, then whatcha pee? Stars?" She smirked and laughed, though it hadn't been meant as a jab. She was genuinely curious. "An' what about durin' a new moon, aye?" she asked. "Ain't no moonlight then. Does 'at make ya more 'ungry?" After he answered her questions, she moved on to answer his about the Automaton. "She's almost done," she said. "Knows everythin' she needs ta know. Jus' gotta get 'er movin' tomorrow, an' 'en wake 'er up. I'll be back on my feet 'fore ya come over tomorrow night, I will!" She grinned wide. She was looking forward to mobility almost as much as she was looking forward to finishing her invention. Especially since finishing one creation would mean she could start a new one. The only thing she liked better than finishing one project was starting on the next. Hopefully back at a proper, QUIETER workspace where she wouldn't have to deal with all the constant nagging and the smell of medicine. She couldn't wait.

[Satevis]

Satevis sighed at Tock's rather crude question. "I don't drink moonlight," he corrected, his voice firm but not angered. "Rather, it's more as if I absorb it." He frowned, looking over at her. "And all bodily functions are suspended while I am in this form, not that there's any need for you to know that."

"As for the new moon..." He frowned slightly in thought. Now there was a legitimate question. "Just because the moon cannot be seen, doesn't mean it ceases to exist. The night is still Leth's domain, whether the moon is visible or not. That alone sustains me." It sounded like the right answer, even though he wasn't entirely sure. He knew that moonless nights were no different from any other night. The only difference was the fact that he couldn't see Leth's form in the sky.

He nodded as she explained that she was almost done with the automaton, his eyes lighting up slightly at the thought. He wanted to see the finished product. Knowing Tock, she wouldn't be able to stay in bed once the crutches were working. He was fairly certain he would see them tomorrow night. "I suppose I'll see them when I come by tomorrow, then," he said.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock blinked at the tone Satevis had when he answered her question. She hadn't expected him to be offended. It wasn't like humans got mad when you asked them what kind of foods they ate. Maybe Ethaefal were sensitive about this sort of thing. "So... yer like a plant?" she asked, her tone cautious. She didn't know all the science behind it, but plants absorbed sunlight. Maybe that was like how Ethaefal absorbed moonlight. She frowned when he explained how he could still absorb the power when the moon wasn't visible. That didn't make sense to her... the scientist in her knew there had to be another explanation. Plants could wither and die during the day if they were under too much shade. The fact that 'the sun was still up there' didn't matter. So there had to be something more to the way Ethaefal drew energy from the moon, besides just 'absorbing' its light. She would have to research this further. "Aye, tomorrow night," she assured him. She was confident the Automaton would be done by then. After he left for the night, she could barely sleep. She was almost done her project! It was too exciting for sleep, like a kid awaiting their birthday and all the gifts they'd receive. It was too much for her to hold in. She was up before dawn, downright giddy with anticipation. She climbed out of bed and hopped over to the circle, leaning on the wall for balance. She carefully settled herself in, and the process began. As she reached out to connect her soul to the automaton's Soulcore, a soft blue glow surrounded her. It was time for the final phase, giving the Automaton the ability to move. She had already programmed in the commands, but now she needed to teach it the actual movements. One of the reasons she always animated things she had built herself was so that she would know how they moved. She had assembled the pieces, her own hands had touched every part. She knew how the joints flexed, how much tension the springs could hold, everything. She held out her hands, her fingers mimicking the motions of the joints. Linked to her creation, it mirrored her motions, slowly flexing each joint, growing used to the motions like a child learning to walk for the first time. Once the motions were well learned, she breathed life into the creation. The spiritual energy pulled inside it, and its astral form was complete. Tock opened her eyes, and looked down on her newly awakened creation. She grinned. Slowly she got up, balancing carefully on one foot, and retrieved her new baby. One last step was needed: attaching the legs. She had intentionally not included them in the Automaton for a reason. The Soulcore was now bound to the harness and joints, and the legs would simply be inserted into the joints and screwed into place. This way, the Automaton could still move the legs, but the legs weren't a part of it. Once her leg was healed, she would have no further use for the crutches... but the legs could be removed, and the harness attached to something new. Once the legs were screwed in, it was time to try her out. Tock stood the Automaton next to her bed. The four leg design had been crucial, to make sure it would stand stablely. She got up onto one foot, and turned around to back into it, raising her arms over the supports and hoisting herself in place. She secured the one strap across her chest, adjusting it to fit snugly under her breasts, then strapped the others over her shoulders. The springs between the joints flexed as they adjusted to and distributed her weight evenly across them. Grinning and cackling, she rested her hands on the ends of the supports, and pressed her fingers to the metal discs. She hollered victoriously when it took the first shaky step. It took a few tries to get the controls down. Even though she had programmed the reactions, it wasn't easy to translate the amount of pressure she pressed on the spring-mounted discs into the speed she wanted to move. She decided to take her device outside. She opened the door, and with a bit of difficulty, a couple of jams, and nearly knocking herself over once, she figured out how to pilot her device out of the room. As she took it down the hall, there were gasps and shocked expressions, and one nurse stumbled back, clutching her hand to her chest. After all, even in the University where people came to study magic, it simply wasn't every day that a perky, cackling redhead was seen moving through the halls on a four legged wooden contraption that was moving on its own. She got to the end of the hall and politely asked a patient there to open the door for her. Pale faced, he did so without a word, staring at her as she headed outside for a stroll around the Infirmary. The crutches didn't really stroll, of course, so much as they made a jerky, lurching motion, one leg after another, alternating from front left to back right, and back left to front right. She spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon piloting it around the grounds, eventually drawing a large crowd of patients and staff who were overcome by curiosity about the thing she was riding. Though NONE of the parents would let their kids anywhere NEAR the thing, no matter how much they begged. OOCDo you want to come in the afternoon on this new day? I left Tock's post open to it still being earlier in the day, to allow for the early visit and the transformation. And so you can see the SPECTACLE she caused!

[Satevis]

73rd Day of Spring, 512 AV

He hadn't meant to treat Tock harshly, he really hadn't. But his temper had been short for the past few days, and he had been more harsh with her than he would have been normally. He knew he shouldn't have been offended, but his Ethaefal form was the last reminder he had of Leth's company, of his time in the Ukalas. It was the only thing that made him more than a wandering mage. He hadn't realized how much that meant to him until last night.

He would apologize to her later, he decided, after he gave her foot its usual acceleration of time.

It was with that thought that the now-Benshira made his way to the infirmary, just half an hour before sunset. He normally would have come later in the day, but he had promised a review session for Professor Cyril's astronomy students, and that would have to be conducted at night. He would apologize to Tock first and examine her automaton, and then he would go off on his rounds and make it to the Astronomy Tower in time for the review.

Satevis blinked as he entered the infirmary, finding himself blocked by a wall of people. There were nurses, patients, visitors, and other medical staff mixed into the crowd. They whispered amongst themselves, some of them excited and others concerned. The Ethaefal stared. Somehow, he knew that Tock was behind this. As an Ethaefal, he would have towered over them, but although this form was not short, the distance made it difficult to see. He edged his way slowly to the front of the crowd, muttering apologies left and right as he squeezed through the gaps between people. The Benshira form was smaller than the Ethaefal form as well, but people still shot him ugly looks as he made it to the front.

He stared. As he thought, it had been Tock.

And apparently, the automaton worked.

The crutches moved with a jerky motion that only barely resembled human limbs, but they walked. And they allowed Tock to walk as well. It looked like she had done it--given herself an out from the hospital bed. He grinned in spite of himself. Say what you may about her attitude and her manner, you had to applaud her determination once in a while.

"Looks like you won't be staying here too much longer," he said, forgetting for a moment that she had never seen him in this form. Like this, only his accent was the same.