🧙 WHO: Sakura Haruno -&- YOU! ⚔️️ WHAT: Various things 🕒 WHEN: The course of Sakura's stay 🗺️ WHERE: All over the Isle of Avalon! ⚠️ WARNINGS: Warnings in thread headers
[Well, her prompt scolding gave him enough of a shock to distract him for a moment. He stared wide-eyed and stammered his reply a bit clumsily at first.]
I-I... [He heaved a sigh, and ran his hand over his face. He knew better than to anger a healer, and he did know deep down he needed someone else to look at it. He'd let it go on too long already.] Private then...
[He didn't get up at first though, despite being clearly resigned to the healing. He moved his hand up, holding his bangs back, he didn't like to show the wounds in general but there was... much attached to the circumstances behind them... so perhaps she'd be willing to indulge a request.]
But please... don't tell my father. He's here and if he finds out- [He cuts himself off, how to even begin to explain this?] He's holding onto a lot of guilt over things from back home. He doesn't need anymore.
[ Well, he had one thing going in his favor: He had a hell of a lot more sense than her own two to three idiots.
Sakura felt a small sense of relief when he agreed without fuss, and maybe a tiny bit of guilt for fussing. Maybe she'd grown too accustomed to hearing such talk from Naruto and Sasuke, but clearly Alfonse had a better head on his shoulders.
Rather than dwell on it Sakura watched to see what he'd do, if he'd want to move right away and need some help or if he'd need a little longer to move. Should she ease the pain for now? She could easily enough, probably.
His words softened her expression once again, her eyes closing. If his father was here...
It wasn't her place to say whether he had a right to know or not. She didn't know their relationship or circumstances. That wasn't her job as a medic, but from the way he spoke it became obvious that whatever his injuries were he felt that his father would blame himself for them. They must be incredibly emotionally painful as well as physically.
When she opens her eyes again she gives Alfonse a reassuring look. ]
Don't worry, patient-caretaker confidentiality is something I take very seriously.
[ It's meant to try to help lighten the mood a little, but she adds. ]
I won't tell him, or anyone else, is what I mean to say. Just let me know when you're ready.
[He didn’t realize he’d forgone his steady breathing until she’d given her assurances, and he’d let out the breath he’d been holding. It got him to offer a smile, strained still, it was hard to smile when he had to be reminded of… everything, but he tried. Her promise meant a lot.]
Thank you.
[one more breath and he finally started to push himself up off the ground. Slowly. While his scales gave him a measure of protection in most cases, with how mangled they had gotten it made sudden movements harder… and after that tumble it was harder to ignore. He’d no doubt reopened something or cracked something else.
But he does manage to straighten himself up. There. He did it. Now to… wherever healing was going to happen he supposed.]
So do you have any place in mind? It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but I haven’t made it much of a point to find out where healing tends to happen.
[A joke! He tried.]
Edited 2022-03-16 02:56 (UTC)
Hoo boy I'm glad I didn't send this last night. I was half asleep writing it.
[ It's simple, concise, but all that needs to be said in answer. Curious though she is (in the same way she'd be curious about the nature of any injury to cause this sort of reaction) she knows better than to pry or ask, especially now. The wounds themselves tend to paint a perfectly vivid picture, even if sometimes sparse on detail. She does wonder if it's the sort of thing he needs to talk about to someone (probably) or not.
Sakura is at the ready to help him if he needs it but at no point in the process of getting up did Alfonse indicate needing help standing, so her hands are more or less poised to steady as she slowly stands alongside him.
Her answer is preceded by an amused smile, so he at least got a little mirth from her, given the situation. ]
For right now someplace close by and clean is the most important thing. There's a hospital in town, though I think it's probably undergoing repairs like most other places. I work at a local medicinal shop. I've set up a couple of emergency cots in the back of the store if you or anyone else ever needs urgent treatment.
[ Thankfully for now she knows where to go, and so she begins leading him at a considerate pace towards the building where she'd asked to store the lunch boxes. She's not sure where they were taken once handed over, but she knows they didn't leave this building so it probably doubles as a home or at least has some basic facilities like a kitchen and sitting area. It doesn't take long to ask about a private room they can use to take a look at a mild injury ("There's no need to worry or apologize, sir, we just need somewhere dry and warm."), with the severity of the injury played down for Alfonse's sake, to avoid the farmer asking too many questions.
Once the door is closed behind them Sakura helps him get seated however he prefers. ]
So, is it your back?
Well I just rolled out of bed, and I just YOLO'd and prayed this would be coherent
[Once the door was closed, Alfonse's nerves seemed to flare up again. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath to, one more, attempt to calm himself. Not as effective as he'd hoped, but after a moment of anxious fidgeting he took a seat.]
It's- yeah. My back.
[He reluctantly took off his shirt and set it aside. Fortunately, with his very basic training in treating wounds he had been taking care of it to the best of his ability, bandages were neatly applied, and clearly kept fresh. However the scope of his injuries beneath were far beyond his skill, if anything he managed to stave off what should be a mess of infections at the very least. Though even through the bandages, some more neglected older wounds and raw fresh scars could be seen. Lashes across his back, clearly applied deliberately rather than results of combat, and old welts in the final stages of healing.
He went to start to undo his bandages, but then took a look at his sooty hands and gave pause.]
Perhaps it might be best if you did the rest...
[The wounds underneath were mess. Burns that had scales melt and fuse together, or cracked and fallen away, leaving tender skin underneath vulnerable to more of the same. It had been left without proper treatment long enough that, while there were no bad infections, there was was the telltale redness and swelling that signaled that some were starting to form. To complicate matters new scales were starting to grow, agitating injured skin and pushing again the sensitive melted scaled.
In short: a mess. It was a mess and he'd clearly been hoping that keeping the wounds clean and throwing a big band aid on it would make it go away, but hey. He tried.]
Edited (AND WE CAN SEE HOW WELL I DID AFTER WAKING UP. GO ME.) 2022-03-16 20:53 (UTC)
LOL You're good, no worries! (Also I am 100% BS'ing my way through thisssss.)
Focus on your breathing. Take a breath in and hold it, let it out slowly.
[ It's not hard to tell he's having a hard time, though the reason could be trauma or pain, or it could be that he doesn't like closed in spaces. She just doesn't have the information to make any sort of accurate assessment, but what she can do is try to help ease him through it.
Once his shirt is off and Sakura rounds him to see the extent of the damage it's a good thing his back is to her. She'd expected it to be bad, but this is horrific. Like something she might've expected to see from one of the interrogation team's captives, or maybe a victim on the battlefield during the war, except... It's clear that these wounds have been inflicted gradually, brutally over months...!
Until now she's been mindful not to touch. She doesn't need to for this assessment just yet. Her expression turns pensive, regretful. She could just hope he hadn't been wandering around Camelot for long like this. If he was a soldier and he'd been performing his duties after being wounded like this- and he must have because most of them hadn't even healed properly -his commanding officer had better pray that they never turn up here. She'd take them to fucking task for this if given the chance. This is completely inexcusable, monstrously inhumane.
Optimistic, that. ]
... Do you think you can sit up on top of the table, or would a stool be easier?
[ She has zero intention of making this any more painful for him than it already is if she can help it. In fact, even as she speaks Sakura is moving back to the door to call for a basin of clean water and a few clean towels if they can spare them. She carries a medical kit so just those basics will be enough. ]
Hey I ain't a doctor, it'll sound 100% legit to me.
The table should be fine if that's easier for you.
[He couldn't quite meet her gaze, instead looking over at the table she mentioned. He'd been living with it long enough that even after the easier tumble turned what had been a dull ache into something worse, he was able to get himself onto the table with ease.
His gaze remained down on his lap, and his hand idly picked at the scaled on his wrists just to keep himself busy. After a moment of remaining quiet he finally spoke.]
It is, but it can be healed. For now, I can take care of the newest ones... If you want I can treat the older ones too, over time.
[ Sakura gives an encouraging smile then, if small. She feels for him, honestly, though at the moment it's her professionalism and skill that he needs, not sympathy or pity, and that would be rude besides. ]
If you want to know the truth I've seen a lot worse, I'm mostly just surprised you've been able to work like this.
[ She takes up the spot next to him, standing in front of the table so that they aren't facing one another directly, nor is she at his back. It should let him see what she's doing without having to feel awkward about avoiding or maintaining eye contact. All these little things she's doing intuitively, picked up over the last few years of working in the hospital and training under Lady Tsunade, studying medical books and observing the nurses and medics on staff, as well as those here. She still hates that her healing magic is so far behind compared to back home, it's like starting back at square one but worse. She knows what she should be able to do, but can't. Knows how it should feel to draw from her chakra and navigate the body's paths and mend the flesh, but can't. But at least she can fall back on it for moments like this, and to do the basics.
Several supplies are emerging from her bag already, bandages, what looks like hand made salve and ointment, and some other things she may need. ]
I'm a ninja. Our world is just beginning to recover from a war. I fought on the front lines, and even before that our lives are anything but peaceful. I worked in a hospital when I wasn't out on missions. So this isn't exactly anything I haven't seen before. There's nothing to be ashamed of.
It’s good to know I’m not the worst case at least.
[A weak attempt at humor, but an attempt. Usually Rex was the one that handled keeping people’s spirits up and making light of what was happening. It was still odd not having any of them just… around. It made his own personal shortcomings more obvious when they weren’t there to make up for it.
He idly turned his gaze to watch her do her work. It would likely make it easier to brace himself if she hit something sensitive.]
It was done with the intent that I could still do my job. [a pause.] Well, less so the burns I suppose.
[At that point he really only needed to be breathing for Velens to get what he wanted.]
You get used to working through it after a while, and working kept me distracted.
[ There was no hitch or hiccup in the movement of her hands, her actions still deliberate and precise, but internally Sakura was calmly revising her opinion. A person like that was the sort of person who needed to be taken out of the picture completely.
It made her angry, but it wasn't her business. Yet if they ever turned up here and Alfonse gave the word-
That was a different matter.
Her voice was steady when she spoke next, giving away nothing of her thoughts. ]
From the pain.
[ They both know what he meant. The matter of if that pain was just physical or also mental and emotional didn't even cross her mind. That sort of torture was usually done to do more than simply inflict physical suffering, if it was this deliberate after all.
The only interruption came in the form of a knock at the door, at which Sakura retrieved the offered basin and towels. ]
You can tell me about it if you want, or talk about something else if you'd rather not.
[ It would help with the pain again from what she was about to need to do to clean his wounds, she hoped. Maybe not as effectively, but it was something. ]
[He’s quiet after she offers to let him talk about it. He understood what she meant, it was to try and help him relieve the burdens he carried, but he felt they were his to cat and his alone.
But, he could at the very least give her a summary of what happened, to explain his father’s guilt. Or at least… part of it.]
It’s… complicated. [He let out a sigh and took a breath, his recanting of the story was very distant, he tried to be as removed from it as he could.] My father is a Legatus, or he was. He lead the VIIth Legion was thought to be killed in action after a weapon project he was working on, the Ultima weapon, destroyed his base of operations in Eorzea.
My siblings and I all enlisted when the VIIth legion was reformed and we heard that the weapon project was being continued. We wanted to continue where he left off, to see his legacy through.
The Legatus that replaced my father hated him. My father surpassed him at every turn, and he hated it, despised him for it. We’re adopted, and not Garlean, so he didn’t even see us as people. We wound up easy targets for his resentment, and being the eldest of my siblings I did my best to take responsibility for them.
[ Though she doesn't know the terms that he uses she's still able to figure a bit out from context. Legatus was clearly a high rank if he was in a position of leadership, and he'd been designing some sort of ultimate weapon called the "Ultima weapon".
His peer had an inferiority complex and had taken it out on his better's adopted children. Garlean must be the name of his adoptive father's people, then.
Last, but certainly not least, it seemed obvious that he had taken the brunt (if not all) of this man's wrath in lieu of his siblings, which was admirable, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they knew, and how they must've felt if the did.
All the while Sakura has gotten started with her work. After first soaking and then ringing out one of the towels she'd set to work on cleaning his wounds beginning with the easier ones and working her way through the worst from there. In the time that it took Alfonse to explain all of that she'd managed to get through most of the gashes and cuts and was starting to take the cap off of an ointment that would help with healing and disinfecting.
She had an uneasy feeling about the direction of the story, like an unsettled sense of thinking she may have a feeling of which way the tale would end. His father's guilt, and the need for distraction... ]
Men like that are always a danger to everyone around them... So it seems like you must've had an encounter with him before arriving here, and then when you did you were thanked for your trouble by being thrown into the lake.
[ She observed, tsking softly at the powers that be. ]
Are any of them here, then? [ She asked, glancing up for a moment before her eyes returned to her task. ] Or is it just you and your father?
I did. My brother Rex and I arranged it so our youngest sister would be taken into custody, by those who had come to stop the Legatus, Velens Van Varro.[the name is spat out venomously] Rex didn’t survive the encounter with them, it was by design, but…
[He was getting too personal, he could still see Rex’s smiling face as he went off to his death.
He shook his head and pushed the memories away.]
At that point I was the only one left for Velens to vent his frustration on.
[He winced as she hit a tender spot, but made no sound. Didn’t hurt half as bad as receiving the injury.]
Just my father and I. There are others from my world, but none I knew personally.
[ Sakura is quiet, reflective over the information, but whatever she thinks she doesn't expound on it just then. He can't see her face because his back is still to her anyway, but there's a moment where the silence maybe feels a little heavier and somber. ]
I'm sorry.
[ He might show up here, but Sakura won't give him that hope as it may turn out to be false. This "Valens" may turn up instead, or if Rex or their siblings turned up it may be more shock than they bargained for, like her and Sasuke. ]
Well, then I'm glad you at least have your father, but if you don't mind me saying so: I'm not sure how long you're going to be able to hide this from him. I'm sure he'd want to be able to help. I know I would if it were my teammates.
[ She's moving on from cleaning the wounds now to begin casting one of her healing spells. It isn't very powerful so the spell will take some time, but thankfully not much concentration. He should start to feel some relief from the pain within a few minutes. ]
No, I can't- [And then it all just came tumbling out unbidden. Things he didn't wish to tell, but couldn't help it. There was just so much, so much he'd been sitting on, so much he'd been holding back.] Out of the five of us, only our youngest sister was left.
[He ran his hands over his face, then slumped forward to just hold his head in his hands, as his breaths grew shakier. He was trying to hold himself together, but he was hanging on by a thread. For all he spoke of his father's guilt, he had no small amount of his own. He was forced to now live with the consequences of his actions, which was proving to be... quite the heavy burden.]
I asked my father to kill me. I didn't want to keep living as the weapon Velens forged me into. Every time my father looks at me I can see it, the guilt eats away at him- he can't find out. He shouldn't have the bare that guilt too...
[ The force of his protest was so emphatic that Sakura paused in her work to look up at him. This new insight is... horrifying, but not a tale that's entirely strange to her either. She's sorry to have pressed, even though she still believes what she said. It's something he'll have to decide for himself, however, as is fully his right. She's got no place butting in.
It's only a split second after that fact that the truth of his words settle in. He'd asked... and while she doesn't realize the full scope of what he means by living as a weapon (she's thinking very much figurative because not even Sasori's self-experimentation could fully encapsulate the horror of the truth) she does catch the implication that his father might have complied with his wish. ]
[ It's not even like she can make a judgment or anything, she doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, doesn't know the context. If his wounds are this severe who knows what else he went through.
As the shock wears away she simply grimaces for a moment, not that he can see that either, and then sighs quietly. Her tone is gentle after. ]
Alright. I'm sorry for pushing, it's not my place.
[ Instead, she files the knowledge away. It's a heavy topic for a first meeting and she doesn't want to continue causing him distress, besides. That won't help with his recovery. So she changes the topic, shifts the focus. ]
How are you feeling, physically? I've healed the worst and most recent injuries so you shouldn't have any pain moving as normal.
[He runs his hands over his face. He needs a moment to gather himself, kicking himself for just... saying it all. It was something he both wanted to keep to himself, but also to speak it, so it would be less lonely. It was eating it at him more than he cared to admit.
Her words snapped him from his thoughts. She was done he work. So he tentatively rolled his shoulders to gauge how well he'd healed. To his shock there was... nothing. Well, nearly nothing. Only the minor discomfort of the damaged scaled remained, but after everything he'd been dealing with, he barely acknowledged that as more than a minor annoyance.]
There's... no pain. [He gets to his feet and tries to look over his shoulder, hard to see without a mirror, but it does at least look better than before.] I- I honestly can't remember the last time I could move and nothing hurt.
[He decided to be bold and stretch his arms up, and hear the satisfying crack of his back. And still, no pain. There's even a chuckle of relief, and his tail does a brief wag, again, something easier now that his back wasn't hurting.]
[ It was a pretty heavy bomb to drop, but that doesn't bother her. She does him the courtesy of not lingering for his sake rather than hers. At least he let it out to SOMEONE, right?
Stepping back to give him more literal room now, she observes as he goes through the motions and movements, ensuring that he's able to move about. She likes what she sees so far, in that his body seems more relaxed. That's a good sign, that's a very good sign. Some small part of her worried that her "magic" wouldn't prove as effective as her healing, but it seems she worried for nothing. ]
That's good...!
[ Oh, the tail wag- that's cute! Sakura has to put in an active effort not to look charmed or amused. It feels good to have been able to help him, though. ]
I'm not sure what sort of care your scales normally need, and I don't think that my healing will do much for them, but if you'd like to see me again about the rest you can tell me then. Maybe I can help take care of those, too.
Hopefully it will sort itself out, but in all likelihood I imagine some are just dead scales. Not much to do about it until the new ones start growing in though, then we can see what damage has been done.
[Hopefully the dead scales would get pushed out in favor of newer healthier ones, but honestly he couldn’t speak from experience. He’s never had to deal with that much damage before, and his father… well he was tragically scaleless. So even if he had the inclination to talk to him about anything, he still wouldn’t be able to help. He’d nearly taken him to the medical ward when he started losing his baby scales, if Alfonse hadn’t informed him it was normal.
He did at least assume since of the damage would be too much, and the scales just dead, it will be good to have someone that can actually get a good look at his back to help him with it. That and he really didn’t want to be the one plucking the scales off, something about the thought of it made him a bit squeamish.]
So, should we head back then? I-if you want to of course, you’ve honestly helped me more than enough for today if you’re tired.
[He had no idea hope magic worked. At all. Could casting it make someone tired, he… he assumed so? But really, he had no concept of it at all. He just wanted to be considerate.
[ Mental notes are made, things to remember if she's going to treat him for any more injuries going forward. For now, it's enough that Alfonse feels well enough to move about freely and without discomfort.
He seems so hesitant to inconvenience others that Sakura can't help but smile. Is it weird that he reminds her a little bit of Hinata? One of her best friends from home, someone whose younger sister she's been trying to look after in her place. She's an only child, so she doesn't know what having siblings must feel like, but if she did she would like someone like them.
So in a weird, roundabout way Alfonse is kind of like a big brother or could be, potentially.
Sakura was gathering everything back up while he explained. By the time he finishes she's done packing again and snaps her medical pack shut. With a smile and shake of her head, she insists. ]
Nah, I'm alright. Trust me, my stamina's better than that. If you're sure you feel up for it I can still work. Maybe we can share some of the lunches I brought later over a break?
[ She'd like to get to know him more, especially if she'll continue treating him in the future. Honestly, she needs something- someone -to focus on other than Sasuke, Hanabi, and work. The former is certainly more interested in doing his own thing and needs space, Hanabi has school to keep her busy, and one can only do so much work in a day with the shop's hours. ]
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isleofavalon2022-02-27 01:19 pm
no subject
I-I... [He heaved a sigh, and ran his hand over his face. He knew better than to anger a healer, and he did know deep down he needed someone else to look at it. He'd let it go on too long already.] Private then...
[He didn't get up at first though, despite being clearly resigned to the healing. He moved his hand up, holding his bangs back, he didn't like to show the wounds in general but there was... much attached to the circumstances behind them... so perhaps she'd be willing to indulge a request.]
But please... don't tell my father. He's here and if he finds out- [He cuts himself off, how to even begin to explain this?] He's holding onto a lot of guilt over things from back home. He doesn't need anymore.
no subject
Sakura felt a small sense of relief when he agreed without fuss, and maybe a tiny bit of guilt for fussing. Maybe she'd grown too accustomed to hearing such talk from Naruto and Sasuke, but clearly Alfonse had a better head on his shoulders.
Rather than dwell on it Sakura watched to see what he'd do, if he'd want to move right away and need some help or if he'd need a little longer to move. Should she ease the pain for now? She could easily enough, probably.
His words softened her expression once again, her eyes closing. If his father was here...
It wasn't her place to say whether he had a right to know or not. She didn't know their relationship or circumstances. That wasn't her job as a medic, but from the way he spoke it became obvious that whatever his injuries were he felt that his father would blame himself for them. They must be incredibly emotionally painful as well as physically.
When she opens her eyes again she gives Alfonse a reassuring look. ]
Don't worry, patient-caretaker confidentiality is something I take very seriously.
[ It's meant to try to help lighten the mood a little, but she adds. ]
I won't tell him, or anyone else, is what I mean to say. Just let me know when you're ready.
no subject
Thank you.
[one more breath and he finally started to push himself up off the ground. Slowly. While his scales gave him a measure of protection in most cases, with how mangled they had gotten it made sudden movements harder… and after that tumble it was harder to ignore. He’d no doubt reopened something or cracked something else.
But he does manage to straighten himself up. There. He did it. Now to… wherever healing was going to happen he supposed.]
So do you have any place in mind? It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but I haven’t made it much of a point to find out where healing tends to happen.
[A joke! He tried.]
Hoo boy I'm glad I didn't send this last night. I was half asleep writing it.
[ It's simple, concise, but all that needs to be said in answer. Curious though she is (in the same way she'd be curious about the nature of any injury to cause this sort of reaction) she knows better than to pry or ask, especially now. The wounds themselves tend to paint a perfectly vivid picture, even if sometimes sparse on detail. She does wonder if it's the sort of thing he needs to talk about to someone (probably) or not.
Sakura is at the ready to help him if he needs it but at no point in the process of getting up did Alfonse indicate needing help standing, so her hands are more or less poised to steady as she slowly stands alongside him.
Her answer is preceded by an amused smile, so he at least got a little mirth from her, given the situation. ]
For right now someplace close by and clean is the most important thing. There's a hospital in town, though I think it's probably undergoing repairs like most other places. I work at a local medicinal shop. I've set up a couple of emergency cots in the back of the store if you or anyone else ever needs urgent treatment.
[ Thankfully for now she knows where to go, and so she begins leading him at a considerate pace towards the building where she'd asked to store the lunch boxes. She's not sure where they were taken once handed over, but she knows they didn't leave this building so it probably doubles as a home or at least has some basic facilities like a kitchen and sitting area. It doesn't take long to ask about a private room they can use to take a look at a mild injury ("There's no need to worry or apologize, sir, we just need somewhere dry and warm."), with the severity of the injury played down for Alfonse's sake, to avoid the farmer asking too many questions.
Once the door is closed behind them Sakura helps him get seated however he prefers. ]
So, is it your back?
Well I just rolled out of bed, and I just YOLO'd and prayed this would be coherent
It's- yeah. My back.
[He reluctantly took off his shirt and set it aside. Fortunately, with his very basic training in treating wounds he had been taking care of it to the best of his ability, bandages were neatly applied, and clearly kept fresh. However the scope of his injuries beneath were far beyond his skill, if anything he managed to stave off what should be a mess of infections at the very least. Though even through the bandages, some more neglected older wounds and raw fresh scars could be seen. Lashes across his back, clearly applied deliberately rather than results of combat, and old welts in the final stages of healing.
He went to start to undo his bandages, but then took a look at his sooty hands and gave pause.]
Perhaps it might be best if you did the rest...
[The wounds underneath were mess. Burns that had scales melt and fuse together, or cracked and fallen away, leaving tender skin underneath vulnerable to more of the same. It had been left without proper treatment long enough that, while there were no bad infections, there was was the telltale redness and swelling that signaled that some were starting to form. To complicate matters new scales were starting to grow, agitating injured skin and pushing again the sensitive melted scaled.
In short: a mess. It was a mess and he'd clearly been hoping that keeping the wounds clean and throwing a big band aid on it would make it go away, but hey. He tried.]
LOL You're good, no worries! (Also I am 100% BS'ing my way through thisssss.)
[ It's not hard to tell he's having a hard time, though the reason could be trauma or pain, or it could be that he doesn't like closed in spaces. She just doesn't have the information to make any sort of accurate assessment, but what she can do is try to help ease him through it.
Once his shirt is off and Sakura rounds him to see the extent of the damage it's a good thing his back is to her. She'd expected it to be bad, but this is horrific. Like something she might've expected to see from one of the interrogation team's captives, or maybe a victim on the battlefield during the war, except... It's clear that these wounds have been inflicted gradually, brutally over months...!
Until now she's been mindful not to touch. She doesn't need to for this assessment just yet. Her expression turns pensive, regretful. She could just hope he hadn't been wandering around Camelot for long like this. If he was a soldier and he'd been performing his duties after being wounded like this- and he must have because most of them hadn't even healed properly -his commanding officer had better pray that they never turn up here. She'd take them to fucking task for this if given the chance. This is completely inexcusable, monstrously inhumane.
Optimistic, that. ]
... Do you think you can sit up on top of the table, or would a stool be easier?
[ She has zero intention of making this any more painful for him than it already is if she can help it. In fact, even as she speaks Sakura is moving back to the door to call for a basin of clean water and a few clean towels if they can spare them. She carries a medical kit so just those basics will be enough. ]
Hey I ain't a doctor, it'll sound 100% legit to me.
[He couldn't quite meet her gaze, instead looking over at the table she mentioned. He'd been living with it long enough that even after the easier tumble turned what had been a dull ache into something worse, he was able to get himself onto the table with ease.
His gaze remained down on his lap, and his hand idly picked at the scaled on his wrists just to keep himself busy. After a moment of remaining quiet he finally spoke.]
It's bad isn't it?
\o!
[ Sakura gives an encouraging smile then, if small. She feels for him, honestly, though at the moment it's her professionalism and skill that he needs, not sympathy or pity, and that would be rude besides. ]
If you want to know the truth I've seen a lot worse, I'm mostly just surprised you've been able to work like this.
[ She takes up the spot next to him, standing in front of the table so that they aren't facing one another directly, nor is she at his back. It should let him see what she's doing without having to feel awkward about avoiding or maintaining eye contact. All these little things she's doing intuitively, picked up over the last few years of working in the hospital and training under Lady Tsunade, studying medical books and observing the nurses and medics on staff, as well as those here. She still hates that her healing magic is so far behind compared to back home, it's like starting back at square one but worse. She knows what she should be able to do, but can't. Knows how it should feel to draw from her chakra and navigate the body's paths and mend the flesh, but can't. But at least she can fall back on it for moments like this, and to do the basics.
Several supplies are emerging from her bag already, bandages, what looks like hand made salve and ointment, and some other things she may need. ]
I'm a ninja. Our world is just beginning to recover from a war. I fought on the front lines, and even before that our lives are anything but peaceful. I worked in a hospital when I wasn't out on missions. So this isn't exactly anything I haven't seen before. There's nothing to be ashamed of.
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[A weak attempt at humor, but an attempt. Usually Rex was the one that handled keeping people’s spirits up and making light of what was happening. It was still odd not having any of them just… around. It made his own personal shortcomings more obvious when they weren’t there to make up for it.
He idly turned his gaze to watch her do her work. It would likely make it easier to brace himself if she hit something sensitive.]
It was done with the intent that I could still do my job. [a pause.] Well, less so the burns I suppose.
[At that point he really only needed to be breathing for Velens to get what he wanted.]
You get used to working through it after a while, and working kept me distracted.
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It made her angry, but it wasn't her business. Yet if they ever turned up here and Alfonse gave the word-
That was a different matter.
Her voice was steady when she spoke next, giving away nothing of her thoughts. ]
From the pain.
[ They both know what he meant. The matter of if that pain was just physical or also mental and emotional didn't even cross her mind. That sort of torture was usually done to do more than simply inflict physical suffering, if it was this deliberate after all.
The only interruption came in the form of a knock at the door, at which Sakura retrieved the offered basin and towels. ]
You can tell me about it if you want, or talk about something else if you'd rather not.
[ It would help with the pain again from what she was about to need to do to clean his wounds, she hoped. Maybe not as effectively, but it was something. ]
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[He’s quiet after she offers to let him talk about it. He understood what she meant, it was to try and help him relieve the burdens he carried, but he felt they were his to cat and his alone.
But, he could at the very least give her a summary of what happened, to explain his father’s guilt. Or at least… part of it.]
It’s… complicated. [He let out a sigh and took a breath, his recanting of the story was very distant, he tried to be as removed from it as he could.] My father is a Legatus, or he was. He lead the VIIth Legion was thought to be killed in action after a weapon project he was working on, the Ultima weapon, destroyed his base of operations in Eorzea.
My siblings and I all enlisted when the VIIth legion was reformed and we heard that the weapon project was being continued. We wanted to continue where he left off, to see his legacy through.
The Legatus that replaced my father hated him. My father surpassed him at every turn, and he hated it, despised him for it. We’re adopted, and not Garlean, so he didn’t even see us as people. We wound up easy targets for his resentment, and being the eldest of my siblings I did my best to take responsibility for them.
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His peer had an inferiority complex and had taken it out on his better's adopted children. Garlean must be the name of his adoptive father's people, then.
Last, but certainly not least, it seemed obvious that he had taken the brunt (if not all) of this man's wrath in lieu of his siblings, which was admirable, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they knew, and how they must've felt if the did.
All the while Sakura has gotten started with her work. After first soaking and then ringing out one of the towels she'd set to work on cleaning his wounds beginning with the easier ones and working her way through the worst from there. In the time that it took Alfonse to explain all of that she'd managed to get through most of the gashes and cuts and was starting to take the cap off of an ointment that would help with healing and disinfecting.
She had an uneasy feeling about the direction of the story, like an unsettled sense of thinking she may have a feeling of which way the tale would end. His father's guilt, and the need for distraction... ]
Men like that are always a danger to everyone around them... So it seems like you must've had an encounter with him before arriving here, and then when you did you were thanked for your trouble by being thrown into the lake.
[ She observed, tsking softly at the powers that be. ]
Are any of them here, then? [ She asked, glancing up for a moment before her eyes returned to her task. ] Or is it just you and your father?
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[He was getting too personal, he could still see Rex’s smiling face as he went off to his death.
He shook his head and pushed the memories away.]
At that point I was the only one left for Velens to vent his frustration on.
[He winced as she hit a tender spot, but made no sound. Didn’t hurt half as bad as receiving the injury.]
Just my father and I. There are others from my world, but none I knew personally.
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I'm sorry.
[ He might show up here, but Sakura won't give him that hope as it may turn out to be false. This "Valens" may turn up instead, or if Rex or their siblings turned up it may be more shock than they bargained for, like her and Sasuke. ]
Well, then I'm glad you at least have your father, but if you don't mind me saying so: I'm not sure how long you're going to be able to hide this from him. I'm sure he'd want to be able to help. I know I would if it were my teammates.
[ She's moving on from cleaning the wounds now to begin casting one of her healing spells. It isn't very powerful so the spell will take some time, but thankfully not much concentration. He should start to feel some relief from the pain within a few minutes. ]
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No, I can't- [And then it all just came tumbling out unbidden. Things he didn't wish to tell, but couldn't help it. There was just so much, so much he'd been sitting on, so much he'd been holding back.] Out of the five of us, only our youngest sister was left.
[He ran his hands over his face, then slumped forward to just hold his head in his hands, as his breaths grew shakier. He was trying to hold himself together, but he was hanging on by a thread. For all he spoke of his father's guilt, he had no small amount of his own. He was forced to now live with the consequences of his actions, which was proving to be... quite the heavy burden.]
I asked my father to kill me. I didn't want to keep living as the weapon Velens forged me into. Every time my father looks at me I can see it, the guilt eats away at him- he can't find out. He shouldn't have the bare that guilt too...
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It's only a split second after that fact that the truth of his words settle in. He'd asked... and while she doesn't realize the full scope of what he means by living as a weapon (she's thinking very much figurative because not even Sasori's self-experimentation could fully encapsulate the horror of the truth) she does catch the implication that his father might have complied with his wish. ]
2/2
As the shock wears away she simply grimaces for a moment, not that he can see that either, and then sighs quietly. Her tone is gentle after. ]
Alright. I'm sorry for pushing, it's not my place.
[ Instead, she files the knowledge away. It's a heavy topic for a first meeting and she doesn't want to continue causing him distress, besides. That won't help with his recovery. So she changes the topic, shifts the focus. ]
How are you feeling, physically? I've healed the worst and most recent injuries so you shouldn't have any pain moving as normal.
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Her words snapped him from his thoughts. She was done he work. So he tentatively rolled his shoulders to gauge how well he'd healed. To his shock there was... nothing. Well, nearly nothing. Only the minor discomfort of the damaged scaled remained, but after everything he'd been dealing with, he barely acknowledged that as more than a minor annoyance.]
There's... no pain. [He gets to his feet and tries to look over his shoulder, hard to see without a mirror, but it does at least look better than before.] I- I honestly can't remember the last time I could move and nothing hurt.
[He decided to be bold and stretch his arms up, and hear the satisfying crack of his back. And still, no pain. There's even a chuckle of relief, and his tail does a brief wag, again, something easier now that his back wasn't hurting.]
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Stepping back to give him more literal room now, she observes as he goes through the motions and movements, ensuring that he's able to move about. She likes what she sees so far, in that his body seems more relaxed. That's a good sign, that's a very good sign. Some small part of her worried that her "magic" wouldn't prove as effective as her healing, but it seems she worried for nothing. ]
That's good...!
[ Oh, the tail wag- that's cute! Sakura has to put in an active effort not to look charmed or amused. It feels good to have been able to help him, though. ]
I'm not sure what sort of care your scales normally need, and I don't think that my healing will do much for them, but if you'd like to see me again about the rest you can tell me then. Maybe I can help take care of those, too.
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[Hopefully the dead scales would get pushed out in favor of newer healthier ones, but honestly he couldn’t speak from experience. He’s never had to deal with that much damage before, and his father… well he was tragically scaleless. So even if he had the inclination to talk to him about anything, he still wouldn’t be able to help. He’d nearly taken him to the medical ward when he started losing his baby scales, if Alfonse hadn’t informed him it was normal.
He did at least assume since of the damage would be too much, and the scales just dead, it will be good to have someone that can actually get a good look at his back to help him with it. That and he really didn’t want to be the one plucking the scales off, something about the thought of it made him a bit squeamish.]
So, should we head back then? I-if you want to of course, you’ve honestly helped me more than enough for today if you’re tired.
[He had no idea hope magic worked. At all. Could casting it make someone tired, he… he assumed so? But really, he had no concept of it at all. He just wanted to be considerate.
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He seems so hesitant to inconvenience others that Sakura can't help but smile. Is it weird that he reminds her a little bit of Hinata? One of her best friends from home, someone whose younger sister she's been trying to look after in her place. She's an only child, so she doesn't know what having siblings must feel like, but if she did she would like someone like them.
So in a weird, roundabout way Alfonse is kind of like a big brother or could be, potentially.
Sakura was gathering everything back up while he explained. By the time he finishes she's done packing again and snaps her medical pack shut. With a smile and shake of her head, she insists. ]
Nah, I'm alright. Trust me, my stamina's better than that. If you're sure you feel up for it I can still work. Maybe we can share some of the lunches I brought later over a break?
[ She'd like to get to know him more, especially if she'll continue treating him in the future. Honestly, she needs something- someone -to focus on other than Sasuke, Hanabi, and work. The former is certainly more interested in doing his own thing and needs space, Hanabi has school to keep her busy, and one can only do so much work in a day with the shop's hours. ]