» A Rogues Work Undone, Another Day At The Infirmary, ' ' Tag - Sybilla

[Raven Se'teíyll]

Out of Character: I apologize for the lack of an apostrophe in "Rogue's" but I could not fit in the y in "infirmary" if I didn't remove it. XD

---

Raven Se'teíyll approached her patient and stood at the side of his pallet. His wounds were immediately obvious to her. He sported numerous bruises and abrasions and had been stabbed in the thigh and grazed on his right shoulder. She moved closer to examine the man's leg. The wound was angry, blistered around the edges and oozing a greenish liquid indicating that the blade used in the attack had been poisoned. The laceration on his shoulder had the same qualities.

Raven looked her patient in the eyes and said, "So Mister Atlesin... had a small run-in with a rogue I see?" The man stared back at her, sweat dripping from his hairline and replied, "Aye Lady Se'teíyll. I was but tendin' to me spice stores in the basement of me shop. Somethin' seemed a bit fishy... everythin' had been rearranged and I only thought it was me helpers doin... he can do some stupid things you know... Anyways, I started puttin' everythin' back where it'all belonged and the next thing ye know I'm bein' attacked by this feller all dressed in black. I managed teh knock him out with a big ole' bag of jasmine but only after he got me with that dagger of his.

Raven chuckled at the man. This was not unusual in the least. She guessed that the rogue was employed by a crime organization from the Mire, most likely a new recruit given the mission of seizing a bag of spice to prove his abilities. Had it been a more experienced rogue, Raven was sure Mister Atlesin would not be in her presence right now but in a wooden box waiting to be laid to rest. "Well I'm happy that you survived to tell the tale Mister Atlesin. The blade responsible for your injuries was poisoned. That explains the sweat upon your brow and the vile discharge originating from the wound", Raven answered back.

"Lady Se'teíyll. I beg of you, please hurry. 'Tis close teh dinner and me wife is gonna be wonderin' where I am." Raven chuckled again as a smile came to her lips. It always helped when her patients were in good spirits as it made her job so much easier and enjoyable. Not that it was not enjoyable, she just preferred dealing with calm patients as she was sure any healer would. Of course she was very capable of employing her magical abilities to soothe and calm her patients, but after a while Raven could not help but feel drained. Sustaining that spell was definitely something she needed to work on.

Raven turned away from her patient and moved toward her store room. She gazed upon the shelves lined with jars and vials of various potions and ointments. Raven quickly found the one she was looking for, a small crystalline vial filled with a clear sapphire liquid, turned on her feet and glided out of the room to return to patient's side. "I must warn you Mister Atlesin, this may sting". Raven removed the lid from the vial and administered three drops of the liquid to the gouge on the man's leg. Mister Atlesin winced in pain and she responded by quickly placing the palm of her hand over the wound, and breathed in deeply. In her mind, Raven felt his pain and called upon her magic to encapsulate it and release it as she exhaled. She continued to work the spell until her patient's own breathing returned to its normal pace. This time she placed both of her palms over the wound and willed the skin to seal itself leaving only a red and slightly raised ridge of flesh. Raven stood up once again, maneuvered around the side of her patient's pallet and repeated the process on his shoulder.

Satisfied, Raven gazed down at the spice-shop owner and beamed. "I have administered an antidote that will flush the poison from your blood stream. The sweating should cease soon enough. You will also notice that I cauterized your wounds. I beg of you Mister Atlesin, be gentle! They may be sealed but they are still extremely vulnerable to sudden movements. You should rest for the next few days until the skin's strength has been restored". Her patient smiled back up at her, clearly pleased with the work she had done and said, "Thank you Lady Se'teíyll. Amaria has truly Blessed you". Raven smiled again. "I am indeed grateful for her gifts Mister Atlesin. Now go home to your wife, eat well and get some rest. I shall be doing the same". And with that Raven turned away from her patient and returned to her store room to collect her things before journeying to her own home in Tirisaa's Upper City.

[Sybilla Isa’níel]

Sybilla swiftly moved through the beautifully adorned streets of the Eventide, unable to stop to appreciate the simply majestic ambience of the place. Not that she had much time to appreciate well anything nowadays, Sybilla had known her life would become hectic once she completed her Mage training at the Academy, that in itself was no secret. She'd come to know that the time she had spent on scholarly activities, strolling the gardens of Emelan was a luxury ill-afforded by any Sentinel. Yet although the life she had been living certainly was different over the past several months, there was a tasteful independence about it that Sybilla savoured and indulged herself in. She knew it was a unique position given to a young woman of her upbringing.

Independence however, almost always came with a price or more often that not, conditions that had to be followed. Sybilla was currently pursuing one of these conditions that she found to be particularly irksome...
------

"I'm already hauling a Sentinel along with me, I'm not quite sure what other 'precautions' you want me to take sir", stated Sybilla indignantly whilst trying to remain as polite as possible to her superior.

The Colonel was unable to restrain a heavy sigh as he leaned back into his sight, observing the young Mage in front of him with a wisened critical eye. "I can see that this irritates you Lady Isa’níel but orders are always orders and must be carried through. I cannot let you go alone on a ship to find an unknown dangerous creature without the proper protection"

He spoke clearly but firmly, and Sybilla appreciated the fact that he didn't address her as if he was speaking to a child yet his decision was final, she could see that.

"Fine, I will take a Healer with me for the sake of the safety of the men in the crew. I will not endanger them but I refuse, sir, to take anyone else except for the Sentinel which I am told you will be assigning to me", Sybilla replied finally nodding in agreement. "And please it's Sybilla, she added with a light smile, "No-one adresses as Lady here and I'd like to keep it that way if you don't mind sir"

The Colonel raised an eyebrow, suddenly vaguely amused by the entire conversation. She was certainly an unusual one, of course- he had been told this before she came under his watch but the girl never failed to quite surprise him. Respectful but most definately with a stubborn streak, he'd have to handle her carefully in the future, you never knew with these Mages what was coming next.

-----

And so here she was, looking for this elusive Healer. Well, not quite elusive, Sybilla had already chosen a specific person in mind when she'd reluctantly agreed to take a Healer with her onto Sazyd's ship. Raven, she knew, wouldn't refuse and not just out of a favour to her as a newly yet certainly reliable friend but as one of duty to the Sentinels. The Lady was someone Sybilla had to admit, she would have been a little cautious approaching a few months earlier, there was something startlingly intimidating about her, a presence that commanded for it though it became much less so when she conversed with her in person. A compassionate yet steadfast woman, Sybilla had been pleasantly surprised to find she wasn't akin to the petty whims of other young Nobles she'd met at formal occassions and of course being the daughter of the Archmage and a previous student herself, she was known to be a gifted Healer. Sybilla also required discretion on the matter, something the Sentinels had been adamant about it and she knew Raven would understand this.

Just her eccentric form of luck, Sybilla could see a familiar dark-haired figure leaving the Healing quarters, probably on her way back home. Sybilla grimaced slightly and she began to approach the Healer, she had been asking one too many requests of others for her own liking even if it was on the behalf of the Sentinels. She disliked being assigned such a task. Nevertheless, a friendly smile lightened her features as she saw her recognising her, "Lady Raven" Sybilla greeted inclining her head forward as a sign of respect, "If you would be able, I would be dearly grateful if you'd be able to speak with me for a moment".

[Raven Se'teíyll]

As Raven stepped into her store room, she closed the door behind her and gazed at herself in the mirror on one of the walls, noticing a streak of dark blood splashed on her right sleeve. This was nothing out of the ordinary but to be completely honest Raven had seen much worse. Regardless, she had to remove the gown before wandering outside of the infirmary as per the official protocol. Raven moved behind the room divider so she could change from her soiled gown in complete privacy. After she finished changing into a silky, knee-length cream coloured dress with capped sleeves and a ribbon under her bosom, Raven rolled the soiled gown into a ball and hastily shoved it into the jewel-tone purple bag also hanging over the side. She would get her maid Elsren to launder it when she got home.

Raven returned to her work bench to pack various objects that littered her desktop; a white feather quill, a jar of ink, a bound book where she wrote about alchemy, among other things. Like the soiled gown, she shoved them into the purple bag before slinging it over her right shoulder and letting it hanging by her side. Raven took one last look at herself in the mirror and straightened her hair one last time before leaving the infirmary and stepping out into the Eventide. In her mind, she did one last check of the mental list she had created, hoping that she had not forgotten to pack anything. Raven then moved toward the door and opened it before turning toward the lamp that illuminated the room. She held her palm up toward the lamp, closed her eyes, breathed in and willed the light to dim, which it did as she exhaled. Content, Raven moved across the threshold and closed the door behind her.

The infirmary had quieted now with only a few patients left to be taken care of. Raven was glad that she no-longer had to work the night-shift, a duty left to the newly recruited healers or those who frequently performed poorly. While quiet as those nights often were, Raven preferred to sleep soundly in the comfort of her own bed (or anothers) rather than the excuse of a bed they had set up near her store room. Raven was a simple woman yes, but as a noblewoman she was still inclined to indulge in certain luxuries. Raven passed the other store rooms, cheerfully uttering good evenings to the remaining patients, healers and their assistants that would be spending the night.

Finally reaching the main door of the infirmary, the entrance to the building and exit to the beautifully adorned streets of the Eventide, Raven thrust it open and stepped out into the cool evening air, a distinctly salty breeze touching her skin. The sun was beginning to set as she moved down the few steps that led to the cobblestone streets below. What a lovely evening to enjoy the comforts of the garden, she thought as she tightened her grip on the purple bag draping over her shoulder. As she reached the street level, she halted briefly at the sound of approaching footsteps against the cobbled ground below her. She glanced around the square, it was deserted save for a few wandering Dedicates from the Temple of the Moon. Then she saw a woman, whom she recognized, that was obviously pursuing her. "Lady Raven," she called out before finishing, "If you would be able, I would be dearly grateful if you'd be able to speak with me for a moment".

The lady was Sybilla Isa’níel, a fellow scholar from Elmbridge now employed by the Sentinels. While they were never quite friends, for Raven was three years older than Sybilla, Raven had been acquainted with the lady during their studies at the Academy in Tirisaa. Raven believed she was one of the few who appreciated Sybilla's wry and often dark sense of humour and sarcastic nature. It was one quality that they had in common. Raven turned to fully face Sybilla and smiled as the lady approached. "Sybilla, it is good to see you. How is your employment by the Sentinels fairing out? You are enjoying it, yes? Suddenly being aware of the look of urgency upon Sybilla's face Raven asked, "And of course Sybilla. What is it that you need to speak with me about?" Raven then furrowed her brow as she looked at the girl who stood before her, clearly curious about about what was so darned important that Sybilla sought her out after she had completed her shift.

[Sybilla Isa’níel]

Sybilla flickered a hand through her dark hair, resisting the urge to sigh though the faint traces of an almost defeated look were apparant on her weary features. She was glad she'd finally been able to complete the task assigned to her to prepare for the greater task that was ahead of them but she couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dread. Was she sending, maybe even leading, these men and women into grave danger? It was under the command of the Sentinels, yes, but Sybilla couldn't help but feel responsible. She had, after all, given her word to Captain Sazyd that she'd follow his instructions if there were any concerns with safety.

Still, this prospect of the unknown proved to be no comfort to anyone.

She didn't know Lady Raven particularly well, of course they were acquainted- it was unavoidable in a place such as Tirisaa where gatherings betwen Nobles from far and wide was commonplace. The test of their light friendship would most likely be during the mission ahead, which would only occur if the Healer accepted Sybilla's proposal on behalf of the Sentinels. Sybilla smiled in greeting to Raven as she approached, nodding at her enquiry about her employment. "It's fairing well, thank you, constantly busy but always full of new challenges as I'm sure you know too, replied Sybilla honestly enough, her expression thoughtful. She did enjoy her work, however taxing it was sometimes (her body never had quite the ability to keep up with her mind), "The Sentinels have also requested your services? I hear you're are very popular Healer, Lady" Sybilla added with a wry grin.

Her eyes suddenly turned a shade more serious. Sybilla briefly gestured with her arm for them to speak more privately away from the main cobbled street that wound it's way through the Healing quarters. She walked a few paces back into an area that was just overhung by a fruit tree, near a nestled garden inbetween the old quaint buildings that were commonplace in Eventide. "The Sentinels have requested that I seek out an unknown threat, possibly a creature of the sea, along the coast that reaches not far from the Harbour" explained Sybilla, "I'm afraid that they will not let me go alone with a crew, they have...well, frankly ordered that I bring a Sentinel escort and a Healer".

Sybilla had no desire to dismiss the actions of her superiors as foolish or unnecessary. Well, perhaps a little unnecessary but she had great respect for many of the men that she worked closely with, they were just doing their job after all and like them, she wanted to do hers using the gifts she'd been gvien to the best of her ability. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, Raven" continued Sybilla solemnly, "But you have been chosen as the best and it is imperative that I do so otherwise the Harbour itself could be at great risk..we leave tomorrow evening". Sybilla felt, much like an exhausted messenger with the urgency of the message bearing on her more as time passed. Hopefully this quest that involved protecting the coast would be easier than it seemed, though she highly doubted it, with their combined abilities now they had a reasonable preparation against what was to come. Whatever in Navarre it was anyway.