Empathy for the Dead [Urs]

[Kala Leukos]

.

Tranquil Gardens
55 Frost 121

Kala had been pleased to volunteer the day previous, doing rounds with some of the patients to take some of the burden off over the overworked staff of the hospital. The wintry months did cause an increase in some recurrent diseases such as influenza. This wasn't fatal for most patients, but the young and the elderly and those with chronic conditions could be hit hard, taking up space in the hospital. And even with precautions, the medical staff was often hit as well. But today, she would be assisting Doctor Wardell in an autopsy, which would be difficult in different ways.

She knew the smells would be troublesome, and had brought a small tool to pinch her nostrils closed under her mask. She knew the reality of a fresh corpse might be troubling, but it would also be a necessary learning experience.

Her hair was tied back and covered with a handkerchief to keep it out of her way. Her clothes were covered with the standard-issue scrub robes that everyone wore. Her hands were washed. All there really was left to do was don her mask and gloves and go into the operating theater.

And yet...

She found herself staring into her own face in the mirror that hung above the sink. She was riding a wave of anxiety, which led to unreasoning anger. It was strange, so she tried to examine it, breathing meditatively as she had practiced since her youth when her fiery temper had been an impediment to learning magic. Then, all at once, it hit her: the last time she had seen a dead body up close had been at her father's funeral and that had been the point of marked change in her life where her mother became more aloof, focusing her efforts on training Aquilios to rule. That was when she and her twin had begun to rely ever more upon each other.

They kept each other afloat, but she realized they also kept each other from processing their grief and all the other attendant emotions that had come to them so young.

She sighed and kept breathing, hoping she wasn't keeping the doctor waiting.

.

[Urs Wardell]

“Another overdose?”

Urs hummed, nodding. “She’s young. Was,” he said, examining the flare of purple that bloomed along the corpse’s left wrist. Mother had brought him to see each and every body, the ones stained with violet. There are better ways to die, she’d warned him, easier ways to go.

“Shame.”

“Guess so,” he said, casting a simple sense, the most shallow magic out and over the woman. Brown hair, brown eyes, neither beautiful nor ugly. Her flesh was stiff with death and he felt the twin prongs on her wrist, where she’d injected herself with liquid bliss. These were all things he could tell from a look alone, what his eyes could do as easily as his magic, but it was a habitat - to See before he looked.

No surprises.

“That Leukos girl is supposed to come by today,” Urs said, checking his schedule. He was expected to conduct three autopsies today. Nothing suspect, it seemed, merely official confirmation.

“Leukos…that sounds familiar. Is she -.”

“Noble, yes. Or that’s my suspicion. Or, she has enough money that asking for a donation wasn’t enough to ward her against coming back.”

“No - or, yes, but familiar in that I think one of the nurses might have mentioned her in passing.”

Urs poked at the injection site, something leaking out. Discharge of some sort, he supposed. “Ah, timely, then. She’ll be in for a treat today - and hopefully, she’ll learn something as well.”

The witch left the dead woman and the nurse alone, as he went to find the girl - and it didn’t take him long. She sat nicely where he’d asked, at the entry of the morgue. “Kala? It’s good that you’re here. If you would be quick, we have our body - you’re cleaned and prepared?”

[Kala Leukos]

.

She rose immediately when she saw Doctor Wardell, though she didn't appear to be rushed. With a faint smile, she nodded.

"I am, Doctor. Good morning."

Kala didn't belabor the moment with unnecessary speech. The doctor seemed to prefer to cut to the chase, sharp as his scalpel, and that was fine by her. She was here to learn, and so she would adapt to his teaching style, such as it was. She was cleaned, prepared, and eager to be of help, knowing she would learn as much or more from the process as she had from the books he had assigned her. While they were dry, they were a bit of variety from the spreadsheets and ledgers with which she kept the family accounts in Kalzasi to be sent back to her mother in Starfall for perusal at her leisure. Akshara Leukos was not liberal with her praise either, so Urs Wardell was not going to faze her.

She began to don her mask. The gloves ought to be waiting in the operating theater so they wouldn't be carrying anything in from outside the room. She was at the doctor's disposal now, assuming he would test her knowledge of the tools of his trade by having her fetch and hand the appropriate ones to him while he worked. But this was just guesswork. She didn't know what he had planned.

Her goal was to learn, but she did want to impress him enough to keep her on, if not welcome her presence. In time, she knew she would grow more skilled at assisting with surgeries and then she would be an asset rather than a burden. But that would require time and effort, which she was prepared to put into this endeavor.

.

[Urs Wardell]

A swift twist of his spell told him that she was prepared; at least, that she was clean. She wore the same gloves and mask he did, or something similar enough that there was hardly a noticeable difference. She seemed calm, or calm enough that she managed her nerves in a way that didn’t make them obvious.

“Good morning,” he echoed, offering her a quick nod. “If you’ll follow me,” he said, turning on his heel and forward towards the morgue. The nurse was gone, the body alone and covered, which wasn’t surprising. He hadn’t expected him to stay for the Leukos’ girl’s lesson.

“There are three autopsies scheduled today,” he said, “We aren’t expected to find anything particularly strange as much as simply confirm what’s already suspected. While not the most exciting of tasks, this does provide a lesson in identification - starting with her,” Urs said, pointing to the cadaver he’d examined earlier.

“If you could start today by examining the body for anything noteworthy, think of what you’d report to a superior,” Urs pulled out a chart as he spoke, already writing notes from his prior examination, “And then conclude with a cause of death, and rationale for such? If you walk me through your thought process, I imagine that’d be helpful - and interesting.”

This was how Mother instructed - opportunities to learn and fail in equal measure. While there wasn’t much he could provide outside of theoretical knowledge in necromancy, he was at least something of an expert considering surgery. He wasn't sure about teaching, not really, but he hoped he would provide something of use to her - it was only fair, considering the donation.

[Kala Leukos]

.

Kala followed the doctor into the morgue, listened to his instructions, and nodded.

"Yes, Doctor," she said, and began to pull the sheet back from the cadaver to reveal a young woman's face. She paused, peering at her, not much older than Kala herself. "She's young." It was not an expert assessment, but it was an entirely human one. "I'm sorry." She pulled the sheet entirely away and carefully folded it, laying it aside. While she could use her Rune, she wanted to use her logic and learning first. "She must have died within the past three days; I see no bloating. Though, I suppose, if she died outside, the cold might have slowed down decomposition. She must have been found fairly quickly or the cold and rigor mortis would have made it difficult to get her in this position."

The cadaver was thin, not quite gaunt. She wasn't sure if that was a sign of malnutrition or just her normal body type so she didn't comment on it yet. It felt impolite to stare, to examine, though she knew the spirit had departed.

"It is true what they say, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "There is no dignity in death."

But she continued on, brushing sentiment aside. She could save that for later when she talked things through with Kaus.

"No obvious sign of injury or illness yet," she said, and then she began to examine all visible skin. She hoped there wasn't some injury on the woman's back that she would have to turn her over to find, but it seemed more likely that they wouldn't keep her on her back if that was where an obvious injury was located. She carefully touched the cadaver with as much respect as she could muster to get a better look, pushing back hair, turning arms, and...

"Is this bruising?" she asked rhetorically, peering more closely at the discoloration on her wrist. "No, there seems to be some sort of... secretion." She was hesitant to try to smell it. "A venomous bite?" She could imagine someone brushing away a spider and getting bitten on the wrist. "Though I don't see swelling or..."

As she examined further up along her arm, she found faint marks and began to put things together.

"Oh," she said, a hint of sadness and regret in her voice. "I think perhaps she injected intoxicants into her arm... and it went badly." She glanced at the doctor to see if she had made any logical assessment at all.

.

[Urs Wardell]

D A T E

“The dead don’t care about dignity.”

He remembered Mother, tired and thin, her every breath a hard-won miracle. No, there wasn’t anything noble or precious about dying. It was there, lingering, slowly stealing the life from everything. A relief, perhaps, to some, but to others an early frost that lingered over the garden of youth.

“Clever eyes, Leukos,” Urs said, scribbling her own observations on the report. No disagreements with what she’d said. He was impressed she hadn’t relied on magic, as much as he had - something he’d noticed among the staff, here, as well. Spells and the like were rarer, preferring as they did to rely on practical science. Outside the Necromancy ward, at least.

“And, you’re right. A sort of intoxicant that hasn’t yet been identified. Would you care to describe the injection site? Scars, discoloration, secretions?”

It was becoming a bit of a problem, whatever it was. The Midden had been busy with all sorts of questionable things, but Mother had warned him enough that he stayed well away - or, had his magic to identify the safe from the reckless. “And, if you think you’d be better served with an internal view of the injury, feel free to use the tools there - everything’s been cleaned. Are you experienced with surgeon’s tools?”

Not that it mattered, one way or the other. The woman was dead and the apprentices practiced on cadavers daily. This - she - technically wasn’t a donated cadaver, but small surgery was needed there and here for better autopsies. Urs doubted the Leukos woman would make too much of a mess - and, anything terrible, he was sure he might be able to correct.

[Kala Leukos]

.

She offered him a sort of rueful half-smile. She was glad she had done well, but the circumstances were hardly happy.

"At first I thought it was a bruise," she said, examining the wrist once more. "But upon closer examination, it looks like discoloration of the veins extending out from the injection site. There might also be bruising, or the tinier blood vessels nearby are just overwhelmed by whatever is causing the discoloration. It's actually purple, not dark blue. The injection looks like two injections side by side, which was why I thought perhaps a spider bite. It hasn't coagulated like blood or dried like pus, so it might be a residue of the drug or the drug itself. I'll collect a sample." She did so with a small, glass implement and set it aside.

"I can't be certain with the older track marks whether they are also doubled injections or not. So it's uncertain whether she has injected other drugs, but this drug killed her immediately or long-term use of it killed her." She glanced at the scalpels and forceps and such, and blinked. "I know them all by name and general use. I did read everything you assigned. But I haven't used them. An internal examination might help, but it might also be unnecessary if you think the discharge might be enough to go on. I... I would like to learn, but not at the expense of finding out what killed this woman. I would prefer to assist rather than cut this time."

She was nervous about cutting into dead flesh herself, but she honestly believed that it would be incorrect for her to proceed when the doctor's expertise was necessary in this instance. But if he thought he could guide a novice through this, she would do what he wished.

.

[Urs Wardell]

Urs wrote as Kala examined the injection site.

She was especially observant. He flicked his own perceptions from her to the body, understanding blooming against cold, dead skin. The veins just below the skin had ruptured. Torn, he thought, pushing his spell deeper. Something wet and light lingered, a crisp note of blue, like the sky, like the afternoon. Euphoria.

“Well, let’s find out, shall we?” Urs said, reaching for a small pair of scissors. The metal gleamed, a sterile beacon, “Watch me - see? Snip the flesh first. This is easier than if she’d been still living, as there isn’t much concern about blood. Nothing’s pushing it through, not anymore.”

Urs sniped a small incision above the injection, his magic guiding him as it would in surgery - avoiding arteries with practiced ease. “Semblance, if you practice it, is useful. Extending your senses past the skin, watching for arteries or other things you might want to avoid during surgery.”

It surprised him how few surgeons had the magic of their own - outside of the Necromancy ward. Semblance, Seeing, whatever the Kala called it, was just so helpful. A crutch, some might call it - he’d be easily half the surgeon he was without it.

“I’ll pull back the skin, so you might better see the veins,” he says, lightly opening the wound so Kala might see the injection and discern what she would. She was surprisingly capable for a noble. He hadn’t expected them to be much use in anything outside of looking pretty. “You aren’t squeamish, are you?”

[Kala Leukos]

.

"Yes, Doctor," she said, relieved not to have to be the one to perform the autopsy without the proper training. Watching would be quite educational, and perhaps she could build from there. Kala nodded as he explained what he was doing, thinking most of his questions rhetorical. It was easier to observe this with the thought that she might have to reproduce it sooner or later. Her bile didn't rise, for which she was grateful. From what she gathered, it was something that couldn't always be controlled in these situations. Perhaps having to produce her own blood to fuel her necromancy had somewhat inured her to such things.

"I do practice it," she said, softly so as not to distract. "I wasn't sure whether it was better to learn with my more mundane senses before adding that to the mix." For now, she let it come and go in a slow, steady rhythm, so she could see with her eyes and then with more than her eyes. Kala didn't think it was cheating, but she didn't want to miss something with her Rune that her eyes might have easily picked up if she didn't rely on her magic all the time. She supposed it was a matter of perspective, but she would use every tool at her disposal to heal when required.

"A little queasy from the scent," she admitted, "but I'll manage." Anyway, it was more interesting than it was disgusting. And then there was her pride: she didn't want the good doctor to imagine he had made some mistake in taking her own as a mentee. He still had quite a bit to teach her and she wanted to learn everything she could from him in the time allotted. "I suppose I will get used to it."

She looked from the cadaver to the doctor, almost as if she were making a question of it.

.

[Urs Wardell]

Urs’ magic split into the veins stuck with days-old blood. Congealed enough that it was more solid than liquid, more ooze than spill. The drug lingered, not in the blood, but where the needle had torn skin and muscle.

“I think another surgeon might prefer that you did keep magic outside of your instruction,” he said, “And some might prefer you askew magic completely while operating.” Not an unwarranted concern, especially with apprentices. Interpreting Sight wasn’t intuitive, not at first.

“I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. It’s true that if somehow, my magic was stripped from me mid-surgery I would be far less capable,” he shrugged, taking a moment to note down his observations. The drug had spilled out, a cloud of blue watermark that colored under the skin. Strange. He wondered if this was something alchemical.

“But, because of my magic, I make fewer mistakes than others. There’s less doubt when I diagnose and prescribe. There are technologies, of course, that might one day mimic what I can do alone - and, of course, the miracles of runeforgers. Those, unfortunately, tend to be far more costly than any price I might demand.” Aura Glass and whatever strange machines the future held, he supposed, might even eclipse his skill. It wasn’t like he was any sort of prodigy.

“Ultimately, it’s up to you. There are many who would call me lazy - or call my magic a crutch. Train without magic, train with magic, or train them both separately. What works for you, works for you.”

Urs snipped the very edge of the veins with a small pair of scissors, catching them in a testing vial. The drug colored the air inside. “Are you familiar with stitching? Do you sew at all?” He asked, fumbling through an open drawer. “We’ll need to close the wound. We could burn it sealed, instead, if you prefer.”