[Infirmary] Long Day (Iggy)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

35th Day of Summer, 512 AV A few days ago, Tock had visited the infirmary to get a cut stitched up. She had wound up getting wrangled into putting on another puppet show, and met a little monster named Mikey. The encounter had left her feeling rather guilty and depressed, but she had also promised the little kid she'd teach him how to make puppets one day. But despite the fact that she had been more than willing to work on carpentry projects in the infirmary when SHE was injured, she knew all the sawdust wouldn't be a good idea for the little tyke to be breathing in. So construction projects in the infirmary were right out. She decided for now that she'd settle for teaching him, and a few other kids, how to control the puppets. They'd have to use the two non-animated ones she'd made, since the Animated ones were designed to respond to her, and her alone. That would bring some serious disappointment from the kids, but there was nothing to be done about it. "Oy, little wizard," she said, knocking on the door frame as she stepped inside, puppets hugged against her chest. "Tock... err, I mean 'Sook'!" he called out, grinning at her. She stepped inside, looking him over. She thought he looked a little bit paler than he had a few days ago, but it was probably just her imagination. He couldn't be getting worse THAT much faster. "'Owzer, mate?" she asked him, sitting down on the bed. He started coughing, and Tock caught the eye of a passing nurse, who stepped into the room to check on him. She checked his breathing, and mixed him up some kind of herbal medicine in a cup of water. Tock watched the whole time, giving the woman a questioning look, curious if the medicine would make him better. She didn't see any hope in the woman's eyes. Later, when she was out of Mikey's earshot, she'd have to ask the woman what specifically was wrong with him. "What's 'owzer' mean?" Mikey asked, once his coughing faded. Tock smirked and tousled his hair. "'Owzer doin'? Ya feelin' better?" she asked. "Yeah... a little," he said. His heart didn't seem to be in the words. It made Tock's own heart clench. She almost hadn't wanted to come down here at all, because of this very pain. But she had made a promise... "Well, ya wanna learn what 'ow's ta make 'em dance?" she asked, lifting up one of the stringed puppets and handing it to him. "When ya done gets better, I's teach ya 'ow ta does the magic ones, but 'ese only works fer me..." she stood the Leth puppet on the bed, dangling her fingers above it to command it. It stood under its own power, following the motions of her fingers, doing a crude little dance on the bed. Mikey laughed, and Tock noticed a few other kids lingering in the doorway, curious about what was going on. She suppressed a sigh. It was going to be a long day.

[Ignotus Everto]

There was something amusingly ironic about an undead visiting a house of healing. Any wise man would say to enjoy the little things, and Ignotus enjoyed feeling like some sort of higher being, strolling among the sick without the slightest fear of falling ill. Of course, he wasn't here out of idleness. He was rarely anywhere out of idleness. He was here for a single purpose, and a very important one for him: To scout out a new body. It was true that he wasn't falling apart at the seams, but it would be reckless to wait until he was to start looking. He'd left his cloak behind today; there wasn't much point in having it on if he wasn't going outside, after all. He hadn't bothered with changing clothes after he'd acquired his current body, and the vest and long sleeved tunic were a little big for him as a result of the weight he'd dropped after occupying it. His trousers were similarly baggy, though a belt prevented anything embarrassing. He nodded politely to a passing nurse as he strolled down the hallway, glancing into rooms here and there to see if anyone caught his eye. It wasn't difficult to exude an aura of unimportance when it was helpful, though it still required him to look whatever he wanted to placate in the eye. He wasn't quite free of such constraints yet. He was observing a rather sickly looking student coughing into his sleeve, when an impressed whistle caught the Nuit's attention. Ignotus immediately started down the hallway, possessed by the urge to find the source, before pausing and cursing under his breath. "Shyke..." He'd overdone it again. He'd been trying to practice his Hypnotism a couple weeks ago, and it was fairly obvious to him now that he'd kept casting a little too long, and managed to influence himself. Normally he'd start hacking up ichor before that happened, but it wasn't a hard and fast rule, unfortunately. "Or maybe it's just because I don't bleed... my lungs aren't going to start getting fluid in them, are they?" It was an unsettling thought, considering he still used them. He bit his lip and started to turn around to see if he could catch up with the nurse, before he heard a voice he couldn't mistake for anyone else's. "'Owzer, mate?" Her. "That petching drunkard's here? Who even let her in, let alone decided to treat her? She can't study here... Can she?" Ignotus's hand curled into a fist, though his anger was tempered slightly by the sick boy's response. "What's 'owzer mean?" He smirked and started back down the direction he had been walking before. Apparently he wasn't the only one who couldn't understand a word she was saying. The undead eventually reached the doorway of the boy's room, which by now was jammed full of curious kids. He was about to tap one of the older ones on the shoulder and ask what the fuss is about, before he saw it. Tock was sitting by the boy's side, operating a puppet without strings. Without strings! She may be a shoe vandal, but she was utterly fascinating. Ignotus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall to watch the impromptu puppet show, smiling faintly. He wanted to fall upon her with questions now, but there was a waist-high wall of flesh in the way. He had time, though. It was not a busy day.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"How's it work?" Mikey asked. Tock smiled at him. He was so curious. So eager to learn. Just like her when she was that age. Unaware of their growing audience, and especially unaware that a certain person she'd vomited on (not that she remembered doing so) was there, she continued with the lesson. "Just 'old 'er up like 'is," she said, holding her hand over the puppet. Mikey held the other, mundane puppet up by the holder that had the strings dangling from it. Tock reached out to help untangle the puppet's legs so they could continue. "An' just move 'ose strings 'ere," she showed him the ones connected to the legs, "an' makes 'im dance, like 'is." She started flicking her fingers in the air over the Leth puppet, and it responded to the movements by dancing in place. The movements were crude, considering Tock wasn't the most skilled puppeteer, but it was still clearly a dance. After a moment she started adding more movements in to make the arms wave up and down, and she moved her hand back and forth to make the puppet sway in time with the unheard music. She started humming to fill the silence, humming the tune to True Lady. She didn't sing the actual words, however, since the song would be HIGHLY inappropriate around children. Well, maybe she'd teach it to Mikey when the nurse wasn't watching them. It did a kid good to learn some things that grown ups said they weren't supposed to know. Mikey tried to follow along, though his efforts were even cruder than Tock's. "'Ere, does 'is, makes 'em kick like one o' 'em table dancers in a tavern..." She flicked her fingers forward in alternation, making the puppet raise and kick its legs, knee up, kick, down, then again with the other side. "I've never been to a tavern..." Mikey said with a chuckle, pulling on the strings and trying to make his puppet kick the same way. "I's takes ya then, soon as yer better," she told him. He laughed, but she looked him dead in the eye and said, "I's serious! I done been drinkin' what when I were yer age..." Of course, her Da had been such a drunkard that she'd been sent on trips to buy his booze from an even younger age. Who could blame her for sneaking a sip here and there? It had helped numb the pain from her bruises... "You did noooot..." Mikey protested, and Tock tousled his hair again. "Whazzat? Callin' me's a liar? Eh?" she asked. She made the puppet raise his little fist and shake it at the boy, which made him laugh harder... which sent him into a fit of coughing. The coughing got worse, and Tock frowned, turning around and looking for the nurse. She'd been here a minute ago. Seeing one lone adult lurking in the doorway, she called out to the unfamiliar man, "Oy, go fetcha nurse, aye? C'mon, Guv!"

[Ignotus Everto]

The Nuit listened quietly to the exchange, filing away anything he thought might be useful later, such as Tock's early frequenting of taverns. It wasn't surprising to him, but it did explain quite a bit in his mind. He couldn't quite recognize True Lady when it was being hummed by someone sober, and the fact that he'd heard the tune before sailed over his head. The boy's coughing didn't bother him nearly as much as it should have, and it was only when Tock loudly demanded he find a nurse that he paid it any mind. It was almost a full second before Ignotus reacted, jumping a couple inches in surprise. Reflexes weren't his strongest suit. A reasonable person would have tried to catch up to the one that was walking farther and farther down the hallway, away from the dying boy. Ignotus was not a reasonable person. His eyes widened, and he wringed his hands nervously. "A nurse? Shyke, I'd passed one going on break when I was walking in! I didn't see any others..." It wasn't the nicest thing to do, but it was far more fun to watch Tock squirm than it was to help the child. Ignotus couldn't feel a shred of sympathy for the child, but the coughing was starting to annoy him. Tock's attention also wouldn't leave the boy until he stopped. In other words, he had to go fetch a nurse. He could have been contrary for its own sake, but he'd never get anywhere like that, and he knew it. Fortunately for the Nuit, a quick glance down the hallway garnered him a very good idea of where one might be. He raised a finger as he slowly stepped down the hallway. "I'll be right back." Ignotus said as he hurried over to a room about three doors down, where the sound of retching was increasing in volume. Apparently Mikey wasn't the only sick kid. A little straw-haired girl that couldn't have been older than eight was puking into a bucket being held by a rather frazzled looking nurse. The undead strode over, snapping his fingers to get the nurse's attention. "Oi! We've got a kid having a fit in the next room, you've got to come!" he said quickly, the urgency in his voice infectious thanks to his Djed. The nurse blinked a couple times in confusion, slowly shaking her head at the strange man. "I'm sorry, but I've got-" Whatever other reason she was about to give Ignotus for staying put was cut off by his grabbing her by the sleeve and walking straight out with the her in tow, causing the bucket to crash to the floor and spill its contents on the floor. "No time for apologies, boy's hacking a lung out. Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The bewildered woman opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again after a couple seconds without a word. The undead smirked for a moment as he made a beeline for Mikey's room. It never ceased to amaze him how many people would just do as they were told, as long as the one doing the telling looked like they knew what they were doing, and it was an emergency. An air of authority here, a hint of panic there, and one could have a guard doing cartwheels, if they thought it was necessary. "Is he going to die?" One of the children in the doorway wondered aloud before Ignotus waded his way through the small crowd with the mystified nurse, giving her a little shove on the small of her back as they neared the coughing kid's bed. "There he is... You can do something about that, can't you? Of course you can." He said worriedly. The Nuit took a couple steps back to give her space to work and ran a hand wearily through his hair, flashing Tock a weak smile.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOC:0 Iggy is so mean! Enjoying watching Tock squirm while the poor kid is sick... "'Urry up!" Tock shouted as the man took forever to get moving, glaring angrily at him. When he was finally on his way, she held Mikey gently, rubbing his back and whispering soothingly to him. She had no idea what to do to help. She just didn't know medicine. When he finally returned with a nurse, Tock left the boy in the woman's care and turned her ire on the kids who were standing there watching, asking if Mikey was going to die. "Shoo, all o' ya!" she said, waving her hands at them to drive them off. "Ain't nobody dyin' 'ere today, now git, go on git! Shoo! Back ta yer rooms..." She couldn't bear the sight of the frightened looks on the kids' faces; her own heart was already clenched with worry and fear. The nurse tended to Mikey, rubbing a salve on his chest and mixing some herbs in hot water for him to drink. The coughing eventually subsided, fading to a thick wheezing that tugged at Tock's heart strings with each ragged breath. When there was nothing more to be done, the nurse tucked the boy in, turned to Tock, and said, "He needs rest. You'll have to say good night now..." Tock nodded and packed her puppets up, leaning down to whisper to the frail little boy, "Yer done gonna beens fine, mate. I's see ya soon..." She kissed him on his forehead, then stroked his cheek as he drifted off to sleep. It wasn't fair. Tock hadn't asked the little twerp to weasel his way into her heart... Sighing with the weight of it all, she turned to leave, barely aware that the stranger was still there, and clueless that he had any sort of interest in her.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus raised an intrigued eyebrow at the way the redheaded girl defended the boy in a manner not unlike a feral wolverine. Or a jaguar. Was she always this angry? No... Any fool could see she cared about the little whelp from the way she doted on him after his coughing fit was over. Drunken rages didn't exactly count, and she seemed calm enough during the puppet show. What was it then? Was that just how she displayed affection? That couldn't be it either, he was looking at how she did that. Was his ordeal striking a nerve? She drank from a young age, and her accent was definitely not a cultured one. Perhaps she'd grown up poor, then. He knew for certain neither of his parents would let him near a tavern. Not even his Pop. Especially not his Pop... This was getting a little too heavy for his liking, but it would have felt too much like quitting to stop. Back on track then. He was vaguely aware of Tock turning to leave, and realized that meant he was to start moving a couple seconds later. She'd just cleared the doorway by then, and Ignotus almost broke into a run to catch up with her. Still not knowing what it was about Mikey that was setting her off, and unsure how to approach someone quite this volatile, he decided to do something that was unthinkable for him. He'd actually try to connect over a shared experience. The undead forced himself to start breathing and blinking before continuing. It wouldn't do to weird her out, after all. He tapped Tock lightly on the arm, falling into step with her. "Hey..." he said somberly, using the touch and the greeting to implant the idea that he wasn't a threat into her mind, even if it was buried too deep to have any real effect, especially if she really did perceive him as a threat. "I'm sorry about the kid... I know what you're going through; I lost someone close to me not too long ago. It can be maddening to be able to do nothing but watch..." Of course, "Not too long ago" really meant "years", but it still counted to Ignotus. Besides, time always seemed to travel so quickly for him. He strained to give Tock the sense that he really understood what it was like to watch someone you love waste away. He knew in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be pushing himself so hard so soon, but he almost felt compelled to use his magic, as if he didn't trust his own words to be enough. As if he was inadequate without it.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

On edge and feeling jittery, Tock jumped at the touch on her arm, and her hand grabbed for her knife. It was just a reflex, and she didn't draw it, especially when she shook off the thought and realized this man wasn't a threat. He also seemed... familiar. Though she couldn't place where she thought she might have known him from. She'd probably crossed paths with him in a tavern sometime, when she was drunk. She lowered her hand, releasing the knife, and turned her eyes back to the path she was walking. "Ain't nothin'," she muttered, not wanting to talk about it with a stranger. Even if she got the vibe that he was telling the truth, and understood the situation, that didn't mean she'd talk about it. Her past and her problems were nobody's business, especially not some stranger who was probably just trying to get into her pants. "Ain't nothin'," she repeated, trying to convince herself. "I's jus' 'elpin' out 'round 'ere, aye? 'Ey's got a 'ole slew o' the little buggers, what needs 'elp. Jus' lendin' a 'and s'all..." She didn't have any connection to Mikey. He was just a little kid she'd known for a few days. No reason for her to feel like he was 'someone close to her...', as the man said. No reason at all...

[Ignotus Everto]

By the time Ignotus had registered Tock gripping the handle of her knife, she'd already let go of it. That didn't stop a small spasm going through his shoulders, however. It didn't take an Aurist to see Tock's assertions that it "Ain't nothin'" were about as substantial as air. He shrugged, a grandfatherly smile on his face. "All right, Ms. ''Ain't nothin'', if you say so. You didn't seem awful fond of those other buggers, though. Not good to bottle stuff like this up, y'know. You'll go crazy." He tapped his temple a couple times for emphasis, winking wryly, before looking away and shrugging again in an exaggerated fashion. "But if you're sure it 'aint nothin'..." The last "'ain't nothin'" sounded almost provocative, as if it was a sign of weakness to stay silent. He didn't intend for it to feel like a challenge, but it could be seen as such easily enough. All the while the gears continued to turn in Ignotus' head. There was a slew of them: that meant they weren't related. She was particularly attached to this one, or at least all sick ones... Was she just compassionate? Considering how abrasive she was to him, he didn't really take that possibility seriously. There wasn't much to do but keep probing. He didn't want to admit it to himself,but he was starting to feel like he was in over his head.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock scowled at the man, having no idea she was being 'interrogated,' but not liking the man's attitude nonetheless. She shook a fist at him and snapped, "Oy, whadda yous knows, aye? I done tolds ya, I's jus' 'elpin' out 'ere, 'at's all..." She didn't like the way he was acting like he knew her. No one knew her! She wasn't some predictable person who could be read like a book. And damn him for acting like it! "I ain't done seen yous 'elpin' out," she retorted, trying to turn it around on him. "Woulda done 'urt ya none fer ta lend a 'and wit' the little tykes? Aye? So dun needs fer ya ta done been judgin' me none, Guv..." She grumbled under her breath, feeling quite cross and irritable. It wasn't so hard, helping out. Sure, the little monsters were loud, and annoying, and smelly, and evil with the way they gave her those hurt looks and sad eyes and... She grit her teeth, shaking it off. Maybe she shouldn't come back down here again. But... she HAD promised Mikey she'd come back again. She thought about the look on his face if he never saw her again, knowing she'd broken a promise. She sighed, shaking her head. Guilt was such a hard thing to deal with...

[Ignotus Everto]

He'd done it again. At the very least, he knew where the line was drawn now, but it still hurt to have to cross it. He took a couple steps back from Tock, putting his hands up on either side of his head. "I never said you weren't, just that talking helped me. You don't want to with a stranger, that's perfectly fine with me." He began to look more diminutive now, practically shrinking back into his overlarge clothes. The wizard had to resist the urge to smile when she accused him of not helping. "I was never judging you Miss, but I really think you should take a good look at me before you accuse me of not helping..." It was simple enough to do, if a little tricky for him. Replacing the nurse from earlier with himself, then reflecting the memory of helping the sick girl onto Tock when she began to show signs of trying to recognize him. As long as she looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry if I made you angry, it just breaks my heart to see someone struggle like this. But if you'd rather cope alone, I'll respect that." Greater Hypnotists could force emotions on others that could eclipse any others they were feeling. Ignotus was not a greater Hypnotist. As such, it was the most he could do to try to promote a feeling of guilt in Tock, clueless that she was already far ahead of him. It was clear he'd either have to ask about what he'd came for soon, or leave and try his luck later. "After all, anyone who can make such superb puppets probably has more to her than meets the eye, eh? I still have no clue how you control them without strings..." Perhaps he could have relied on his words alone to flatter her, but who could blame him for not wanting to take any chances?