A Dark Favor (Lixue/Closed)

[Creeper]

Timestamp: Summer 52, 512 AV Time: Midday Location: Nature's Nurture Who: Lixue Nature's Nurture was being rebuilt almost exactly as it had been before the storm came along, S'Vanka and Hethe were still treating patients despite the structure not being totally complete. Most of the already completed rooms were already filled with those that had still been in the city when the Fog was cleansed, suffering from animalistic wounds, claw slashes, bites, infections. Doctor Lixue had recently been brought in from the Base Camp to help oversee it, while Jorg and his assistants maintained those who couldn't be transported into the city yet. Her days were still long, but now with a proper facility, life was a bit easier. Sickness didn't spread as quickly or as often, and most patients had their own rooms, which improved their moods greatly. Supplies were still dreadfully low, but that would change as the entire city recovered. A man entered Nature's Nurture just as Lixue was changing between one wing to the other. He was wearing hunting leathers, wearing a necklace made of various teeth, with several feathers and bones woven into his long black hair. He didn't appear to be injured, or even ill, as he sat there with a smirk upon his face. Two Hahk'Shatara immediately appeared behind him, faces stern. "It appears the poacher has returned. Looks like you will need to be Forgotten once more, Torkatch." The man was unfazed, and didn't even turn, looked over at Lixue and smiled at her, his eyes running up and down her form, nodding once in her direction. He held up his empty hands and turned, "It appears you've caught me, again, however, if I'm Forgotten once more, then three of your own will be lost. I came here to find them help, and you are now threatening their lives. Ask your eyes in the trees and tell me I'm wrong." One of the Jamoura quickly disappeared, while the other glared daggers into the confident Poacher, but made no move to capture him. Torkatch turned back to Lixue, "You are a healer of sorts yes? You look the type, and you don't look particularly dangerous. Yes, you'll do, you'll do just fine," without looking back, "I'm taking this one with me, I can trust her to not be a bother. You will not stop me Fragh. Not until we are on even ground once more." The second Jamoura returned, and the look on his face made it clear that the man's claim of having three of the Hahk'Shatara was true. Torkatch continued, "Come now girl, unless you want the little blood they have left on your hands. Bring all your supplies and meet me at the back of the Petal." The Poacher strolled slowly out of the building, and made his way around to the back of the building, the Hahk'Shatara watching him closely, but keeping their distance so as to not spook him. He approached the staircase that led down to the forest floor and sat with his back to the tree, waiting for the doctor to arrive. He nodded at every Hahk'Shatara watching him, even those out of sight. This man was clearly a powerful and confident man, and made himself an enemy of the city, and yet was able to walk around without being harassed. Leverage was everything, and he had it in spades.

[Lixue]

"What do you mean he's sewing?" Lixue asked, flabbergasted. The assistant who had raced to fetch her shrugged pitifully. Sighing, Lixue glanced at the patient she was currently helping. All assistants around her seemed to be frozen in place, waiting for the doctor's reaction. Steady hands held clean bandages, half circled around a shaven leg. The Jamoura had been building and accidentally nailed himself to the board below. Lixue was forced to remove the utensil from the calf muscle and cover both sides in medicine to keep an infection from arising. No stitches were required. Nearly finished with the job, Lixue was unfortunately interrupted by an anxious assistant, who delivered information of a new employee trying in vain to stitch a wound closed. "Dayna, take over here. Finish wrapping, but keep the loops tight. The patient will need to be kept overnight and away from hammers, for that matter." The group of interning doctors chuckled nervously. Following the helper out of the room, Lixue lost her smile. Green eyes were serious and no smile twitched at the side of her lips. This did not mean Lixue was angry, however. No, simply serious. If someone were to crack a joke, Lixue would laugh and kid around. She would not, however, explode on anyone undeserving. Everyone deserved a fair trial and by spreading a single emotion around in reaction to everyone, Lixue was wise enough to realize it would not be fair. Daniel, a new assistant, was only hired a few days ago. Impatient and snappy, the man acted more like a patient than an employee! He showed no promise of improvement and seemed to want to do things not yet possible for him. Lixue had already caught him trying to set bones, deliver children, and help a patient with a paranoia problem. Now he was trying to sew an abrasion shut? The health of others was at risk and Lixue never took kindly to such things. By being taken on as an employee of the hospital, the man had agreed to put others first and ask for help, to never toy with the life of another. There had been a specific reason Daniel was not hired as a doctor: he needed to learn patience. Since moving from Base Camp, Lixue's job was less demanding. The hours were just as long, but the patients had better attitudes. Individual rooms helped this and kept diseases from spreading as easily. On the opposite spectrum, Lixue found the work harder. She often had to stop what she was doing to manage someone, such as was this case. The workers often had more attitude than the patients and Lixue's patience was tested to the edge daily. The faculty she worked in was an amazing place, even if it was not completed. There were separate wards for certain things and everyone was welcome. Those did not get along were kept away from each other and each section specialized in a certain thing. Approaching the exchange from one wing to the other, Lixue narrowed her eyes. What were the Hahk'Shatara doing in the hospital? Two assistants flanked her sides and stopped when she did. A stranger stood out of place in the faculty. He was obviously a hunter. Clad in hunting leathers and a necklace with teeth of all sizes on it, the human was smirking. The Hahk'Shatara called him a poacher and a forgotten. Having been around the Spires for only a little while, Lixue could only guess what it meant to be Forgotten. Apparently not something good given the use of the order keepers. When the man smiled at her, Lixue did nothing in response. Her facial expression did not change from blank and she did not recoil in disgust. The two assistants by her side seemed to bristle at the sight of the man and Lixue simply held up a hand to keep them in check. No use in creating a scene. Especially considering the human claimed three were injured. Nodding when the man ordered her to come with him, Lixue wasted no time in turning to the assistant who had fetched her in the beginning. "Deliver a message to Daniel. He is to stop what he is doing, and spend the rest of the day in the Medical Library researching. When I return, I will speak with him. He is to be able to explain stitching a wound to me." Turning to the other assistant, Lixue told her swiftly, "My bag is in with the supplies. I will need another water-skin, with hot water. Plenty of bandages. Lalaya should be with the herbs. She knows which ones I am educated about. Tell her I need all. Place strong, clear thread in my bag with a sharp needle. Rag, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, and smelling salts. Make haste!" One of the Hahk'Shatara stayed behind to warn Lixue, "Be careful Doctor Lixue." A nod ensured him that Lixue had heard him. The assistant came scrambling back, bag in hand. Flinging it onto her back, Lixue scanned around. No fear strangled her heart as she made her way out of Nature's Nurture. It was easy to find the man… everyone gave him a wide birth. "Let us go. I want to know what happened." She did not ask what he had done. No. Until given proof otherwise, Lixue assumed he had not caused the accident.

[Creeper]

Torkatch looked up at Lixue with the eyes of a true predator, smiling darkly as he saw she was prepared. He stood up, looked down at her leg, "You gonna be quick? I don't know how long these guys have. Their own damn fault too. Stupid petching treaty made me come turn them in like a deer carcass, though Jamoura isn't quite as tasty." The Poacher led the doctor down a winding staircase to the Foliage, eyes and ears keeping a lookout for any sign of threats and dangers. He crept along, silently, quickly, seeming more like a shadow in the forest than a mere man. He led her around the Foliage for a couple of chimes, at one point pausing as a bear that was twice as tall as them, while on all fours, passed by, followed by several cubs. But the winding journey led to an opening at the root base of a large tree. He pulled out a torch and handed it to the woman, and as quick as her eye could follow, his flint and steel had it lit, and quickly followed with his own torch.

He wordlessly led her into the tunnel, a gentle downward slope. The pace was careful, as roots and rocks were a constant overhead, and underfoot threat. When the tunnel bottomed out, it emptied into a large open cavern, lit by a seemingly unnatural green light. In the middle was a frozen river, ice shards shooting outward, deadly spears just waiting for prey. "Okay healer, quickly now." The man began jogging alongside the river for a ways, then disappeared down a side tunnel, which wound a long like a snake for a distance, before he finally stopped in a torch filled room. Lixue would hear the men's pained groans before arriving.

The sight was gruesome. One Jamoura was already dead, all of his skin and fur totally gone. Another was unconscious, and one of his arms looked exactly the same as the dead Jamoura's, bloody, and just showing the massive musculature. The third Jamoura, was freaking out silently in the corner, trying to pry something off of his forearm. He swatted at anyone that got near him, but Lixue would see what looked like the spine and rib cage of... something had attached itself to him, and appeared to not be letting go. "I found them like this while chasing a particularly mean Volkbadger, though the first one wasn't dead, and that white thing was on the second one there. So what do you think doc?"

[Valkyrie]

Lixue :

Experience
1 Observation
1 Leadership

Lore
Tipped Off by a Forgotten One

Other
N/A

Notes: Unfortunately this thread didn’t get very far so there isn’t much that I can award.

You Will Be Collected if Worthy

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