Shine on forever, shine on benevolent sun...

[caduceusoncall]

Who: Mercy (caduceusoncall) and OPEN!
What: Research, exploration, and the rarest of rare situations: relaxing!
When: IC dates April 22nd-30th
Where: All around the station and annex!
Warnings: Medical talk may come up!



All days: Station
[It doesn't take Angela long to settle into an "on duty" vibe. It's probably getting to be common knowledge that you can call her Mercy or Angela, since she's informed everyone she knows of her on-duty name and introduced herself to new people as "Angela. Mercy, if you prefer." So feel free to call her one, the other, both, neither - whatever strikes your fancy.]

[In the mornings, starting promptly at 8am, the door to room 17 slides open and remains that way until she leaves for the medical bay. Anyone passing by will notice that the apartment is remarkably clean and organized, except for the desk, which is covered in stacks of books. The woman inside is dressed in a lab coat, sometimes with casual clothing underneath and sometimes with a wingless Valykrie suit. It seems the open door is an invite to bother her with any questions, concerns, or problems you may have, as she's just milling about over books and notes and exploring the functions of the computer otherwise.]

[You can find her every afternoon in the medical bay, seated at a small desk, furiously taking notes from a stack of what appear to be medical and magical textbooks. She may seem totally engrossed, but anyone entering the med bay receives a similar pitch, shot over her shoulder without looking: "I will be with you shortly. Have a seat, unless it is urgent."]

22nd-24th: Station
[During the evenings, she can be found in the common room, reviewing her notes over a cup of black coffee. She smiles politely at anyone who passes close enough, looking equal parts tired and content. If she's in a hurry to leave this world and go home, she certainly doesn't show it.]

25-27th: Annex
[Certain evenings, instead of returning to the common room, Mercy heads out to the annex. She focuses her time in the library, becoming very well acquainted with the material there. If she's not among the shelves, she's in the center room lounge area with a stack of books at her side. She keeps taking out about 5 at a time, furiously transcribing the pertinent passages and taking notes, and then going back for another 5. Somebody explain the concept of a break to this woman, please.]

28th: Station
[Those late nights seem to have gotten to the good doctor, because she finally takes the evening of the 28th to just sit outside on the viewing deck and relax. No books, no lab coat, no notes. Just Angela Ziegler - Mercy, if you prefer - in a deck chair, eyes half-lidded as she stares out at the setting sun.]

[Disturb her > y/n?]

29th-30th: Wildcard
[The rest of the evenings, it's a crapshoot as to where you'll find her. Anywhere on the station or the annex is fair game. Her schedule is rigid during the daytime, but when the sun begins to set it seems she's just prone to wandering around and settling in various places. Just specify where you found her and when, or shoot me a pm here or on plurk (azazelbunny) for a prompt!]

Comments

25th, Library

[founderinglight]

[Mercy may well have noticed the tall, thin man around the station itself - including catching him snoozing openly in the common room some evenings.

This time he's awake, and puttering around the magic-related shelves in the library, though he doesn't seem to have picked up any books. He's also wearing black skinny jeans and a black shirt that says MY FEET ARE DOWN HERE, which is almost certainly Fissure-wear.

I mean, probably.

He gives her a casual little wave before pulling a copy of something called Runic Structures and You off the shelf.]

Evening.

April 22, medbay

[dubiouslychthonic]

Oh good, I've caught you.

[It's late in the afternoon, which translates to very early by Jetshard's standards, but she's starting to feel that if she continues to let the difference in schedules get in the way of introductions it's going to feel like she's avoiding the new doctor, which is... not the most professional look, she feels.

Granted, her personal standards of "professional look" are somewhat less uniform than Mercy's are, but aside from the fact that she's clearly given up on the battle to find shades of black that match, her outfit's tidy enough for someone who's spent much more time in the infirmaries of smugglers' vessels than legitimate hospitals over the past few decades. And it's silly - she knows by now that blood color means nothing to humans - but she's opted for the blue-tinted glasses that make her eyes look distinctly teal today.

She doesn't hesitate to come over to where Mercy is working, though she's careful not to crowd the woman's work, either.] I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to introduce myself. Sawbones Jetshard. I work night shifts in here.

[caduceusoncall]

[She has noticed! They've probably sat next to each other more often than not. There's only so many configurations of seating in the common room. Though she's never had reason to approach him, she's by no means opposed to meeting the strange snoozer.]

[Angela smiles politely, stopping just a shelf or so away to continue her search for a book on the subject of physical fortification.]

Good evening. Are you looking for something specific? I think I've made the circuit enough to help you find just about anything.

[founderinglight]

Not at all. Just browsing at the moment.

[He pulls the book down, flicks through the first few pages, and then puts it back.]

Definitely not the runes they're using around here...

[caduceusoncall]

Ah!

[Mercy doesn't hesitate to set her things aside and stand up, turning to face the night shift doctor she's been told about. She had been hoping to meet Jetshard sooner or later. Reflexively, she extends a hand in greeting.]

It is a pleasure to finally meet you. And my apologies for that delay, I understand our sleep cycles are very different. My name is Angela Ziegler, or Mercy, if you prefer.

[caduceusoncall]

[Oooh. He seems like he's more comfortable in this particular subject. Angela pounces on that instinct right away, hoping to narrow her search.]

Are you very familiar with magic?

[dubiouslychthonic]

Being the nocturnal holdout in a station full of diurnal folks does have its inconveniences.

[Handshakes aren't a totally unknown concept, and she accepts it easily enough. The troll's skin is cooler than might be expected from a human, but not significantly so. Her grip is firm, if brief - the implicit physical vulnerability of the gesture isn't an unacceptable risk, especially between professionals in what is about the closest thing to a noncombatant role that most trolls are going to find, but that doesn't mean it's an entirely comfortable thing either.]

I'm sorry, I'm still figuring out human naming conventions. Which would you be more comfortable with me calling you?

23rd, medbay

[nojohnyouare]

[Mai walks in impassively, gives a little nod of greeting, and sits down.]

Medical notes? Because not everyone is human.

[founderinglight]

With my family's, at least. Much of the magic here is quite different from what I'm familiar with - the Lucian line is mostly concerned with our Armiger and elemental magic. I have a general understanding of magitek theory, as well, but it's my brother who was the engineer.

[caduceusoncall]

Angela is fine.

[She's always thought of herself as Angela in general, and as Mercy when she's in the field. It helps having a separate name for a separate state of mind. Makes it easier to turn off certain parts of your brain and put on a braver face. Compassion and emotional concern have to take a back seat to practicality when it really comes down to the wire, and Mercy can handle that task much easier than Angela can.]

Do you have a preferred name or form of address?

[caduceusoncall]

Yes, that's what I'm currently studying, actually.

[Angela finishes up the sentence she's writing before standing up and turning to face Mai. Her smile is bright and genuine. And why shouldn't it be? She's surrounded by knowledge and research and equipment far more advanced than she's used to...Angela Ziegler is LIVING.]

This book is actually an extended essay on the effects of magical healing on different types of tissue. I hope to use the knowledge to modify my staff to recognize and repair unfamiliar tissues, such as that of trolls or succubi.

Anyway, how can I help you?

[caduceusoncall]

Hm. I'm unfamiliar with the term Armiger. And admittedly, with magic in general. It doesn't exist in the world I come from.

[There's a tinge of pride in her voice as she adds:]

From reading these books, I am passingly familiar with the basics of healing magic and shielding magic, though I have not practiced either yet. I hope to learn more about magitek as I further my research.

[founderinglight]

It's the term for a variety of talents - the most notable of which is what I've heard several others refer to as "hammerspace," should that be more meaningful. It's a storage ability with a few unique aspects related to weapons, and also provides the ability to warp. We're very combat-oriented on the whole.

[nojohnyouare]

[Mai blinks, distracted from her train of thought.] A healer? Magical, like the book? Yet it requires study. Instead of just working on instinct.

[dubiouslychthonic]

Just Jetshard, please. [There's some trolls who would insist on the more impersonal title over the personal name, but Jetshard's never been one to stand on ceremony. It's not like she's giving out her childhood name or anything.]

30th; medbay

[cyclicalconcept]

Oh, ok...

[She seems to be looking around, nevertheless.]

Have you seen Strange-san anywhere, by any chance?

[caduceusoncall]

[Angela's smile falters a bit at the mention of his magic being combat-oriented. It would be naive to think that such a fantastic tool as actual literal magic would be used purely for utility purposes, but she can dream, can't she?]

I have to admit, I am very much out of my league in this discussion. My specialty is in applied nanobiology, particularly its applications in stabilizing and restoring critically wounded patients. Unfortunately, it is very geared towards human biology - most of my skill set is.

I have seen a few stasis spells that apply similar effects, but I would like to understand how exactly they work and what exactly they do before seeing how they interact with my staff.

[The hope is that a small stasis spell could be cast upon contact, allowing the nanobots to do their work more slowly and completely. This could allow for complete healing in the field, rather than a patch job that would have to be finished later.]

[Magical healing nanobots. The possibilities are endless.]

[founderinglight]

And I would be equally out of my league in regards to your specialty. I have a limited amount of medical knowledge - primarily focused on malarial infection, I promise that it does make sense in context - but I have little knowledge of technology beyond roughly a street-level knowledge of smart phones and the like, outside a bit of magitek theory.

[He pauses.]

In the interest of honesty, I should warn you that I have a bit of a panic reaction to magical healing that I imagine would extend to other forms of accelerated recovery. Unless the situation is life-or-limb threatening, I would prefer to avoid it.

[This likely explains the week-old bruise still fading along his jaw, if she were to look close?]

[caduceusoncall]

Oh no, I am quite mundane, myself. Is magic better suited to instinct than study?

[caduceusoncall]

Jetshard, then.

[Angela has. Never seen a troll before. Please forgive her if she stares a bit, she's just trying to figure out where the troll ends and the human-ish begins. Playfully, she adds:]

I'd say I look forward to working with you, but ideally there won't be any situations that call for two medics at once.

[caduceusoncall]

[The apparent youth of the voice startles Angela into looking up. The Fissures really didn't discriminate in who they dragged into this world, did they?]

Strange? They were not here when I arrived this afternoon. They may be charging, or working in their personal laboratory. Is there something I can help you with, or would you like me to see if they are available?

[caduceusoncall]

[This has her raising her eyebrows a bit, but after a moment she nods.]

Of course. I would never force healing upon someone, though I am glad to hear you are not opposed to it in the event your life is in danger. Let us hope we never have to cross that particular bridge!

[It would be too forward and invasive to ask why, she thinks, so she asks a different question instead, which she doesn't think is related:]

Malarial infection is a fairly narrow field to have knowledge of. May I ask why you targeted that area specifically?

[nojohnyouare]

I don't know. I never learned from anyone. Though... Probably a good idea. So you're making it so you can replicate what you're reading about. In a different way.

[founderinglight]

[I mean, technically they are in fact slightly different triggers. He frowns, just a little.]

There's a disease in my world known as the Starscourge that is, in fact, a magically modified malarial infection. The main distinguishing feature between the two is that the Scourge includes black blood as its distinguishing symptom - you shouldn't need to be concerned about it, though, there's no one here who has the infection and I doubt it could jump the world gap without a host.

[At least that is what he's choosing to believe for the sake of his sanity. Everyone he knows is clean and will remain that way.]

[dubiouslychthonic]

Ideally.

[Honestly, she's mostly gotten used to the stares by now; maybe someday a fissure will spit out someone with prior knowledge of trolls - or even another of her own species - but it hasn't happened yet. Good luck intuiting the differences, though, convergent evolution is a hell of a thing.]

Do you have much experience with field medicine? Most of our actual crises so far have been mishaps in the fissures.