BREATHE THE NIGHT [P]

[Ace]

It wasn’t unusual at such a time to find the medical bay nearly empty. The sun had set a number of hours ago and most of the medics had retired to their beds to sleep. In the main bay a number of makeshift beds held the sick and wounded, of which there seemed to be an increasing number each day. All were asleep, and some mumbling or occasionally shouting; the dome had that effect on a vast majority of people it seemed. In the corner was a curtain roughly blocking off a patient with some kind of virus. Apparently they could no longer afford to put the infectious in another room; or perhaps he was past that stage of the infection. Ace couldn’t quite remember the patient, since he hadn’t been the one specifically dealing with him. If he had met with the patient he would remember. The Chief Medic however was not to be found in the main bay. He instead was moving silently around the operating room, trying not to wake any of the patients in the next room. The long table in the centre was still covered in blood, despite the medic having ordered a number of omegas to clean it up. Obviously they hadn’t realised he had the authority to order them around, but then again sometimes Ace forgot he had that authority too. He had spent enough years as a scout to have learnt to stay silent and do what he was told. Now he was the one telling people what to do and more often than not he was ignored. He could still recall the body that had laid on the table just mere hours earlier. The poor hunter had been on the wrong side of a fight with Carna it seemed. The other two that were with her were sleeping in the medical bay now to recuperate but Ace and his team had been unable to save her. His hands were still stained a diluted red but he paid no head to that as he ran his hand along the bench. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head. The other hunters would surely blame him for this. True, he had saved more than he lost in recent months, but they would ignore that piece of fact. He was meant to save Fulsi and he had been unable to save her. As his thoughts continued to mull over the evening’s events, a sudden zap of electricity caused a small curse to fall from his lips as he jumped back. Shaking his hands, Ace scowled and walked back to the small washbowl. He needed to keep control of his thoughts so he wouldn’t electrocute the entire building. Washing his hands, he inspected them carefully, making sure every tiny amount of blood was removed from his skin. “This is the kind of thing a murderer would do,” he frowned, drying them off on the towel before picking up a wet cloth. He needed to get the table clean before another patient came in crying for help. It took him only a few minutes to completely clear the blood, and by that time he realised that he had never gone down to eat dinner. His stomach, also remembering its lack of nourishment, noisily complained. “No time now,” he said, looking down at his tummy and moving to dump the cloth in a bucket with the rest of the dirty ones. There was a large amount of cloth and Ace rolled his eyes in frustration. “I told that damn omega to take these out and wash them properly. Maybe more things would get done if I wasn’t chief.” His voice cracked on the last word. Turning his back on the door, Ace leaned against the central bench, inspecting all the items on the tables at the edge of the room. There were uncleaned implements everywhere, all work that should be done by omegas or less trained medics. It appeared he would be up all night doing tasks he had no time for and all because no one thought he was good enough for his rank. OOC | yas a post for RUMOR! he's moody and hungry so prepare for classic teen ace times

[Charm]

It was quiet as Charm padded through the medical wing, checking on her charges. She paused frequently to adjust a blanket or soothe a restless sleeper with a brush of fingers across their forehead. Jared trailed behind her, ghosting along on silent paws, mostly hidden in the heavy shadows. He was letting Charm go about her business, until he drew her attention with a nearly inaudible rumble. She glanced at him, then moved forward with more purpose. Rounding the corner revealed that things weren’t as quiet as she’d thought - there was a light flickering in their makeshift operating room. Approaching to investigate, she let her footsteps sound softly against the tile to avoid startling whoever was inside, then paused in the doorway, taking in the situation with a sweep of her gaze. The dejected slump to the medic’s shoulders did not escape her notice. “Long day, huh?” she asked, sympathetic. “Jared, get some water boiling, would you?” She set her bow and her pack against the wall, and pulled her sleeves up to her elbows. The work would go quickly with extra hands. As she started collecting the surgical tools, she raised her eyebrows at Ace. “I’ll clean, while you sterilize?” To Jared, who had abandoned his wolf form for a human one and was stepping back from the newly kindled fire, she said, “Thanks. I’m good here for a minute. Run the laundry over to the Omegas and ask them why it wasn’t already done.” Hefting the basket onto his shoulder, he nodded. “Want me to talk to Tarrik while I’m over there?” “Nah, don’t worry about it.” With another nod, he slipped back out the door. Charm dumped her handful of implements into a basin of cold water and set about scrubbing off the blood. Once they were free of obvious contamination, she set them aside to wait their turn for a soak in the boiling water. It was methodical work, and she hummed thoughtfully. “I looked in on the other hunters - they’re still sleeping. Any complications with either of them?” She’d heard that they were going to be fine, but she preferred first hand information. Plus, the Chief Medic may confide in her, whereas he might be hesitant to do so with the people he was overseeing. On the other hand, there was a chance he might not want to appear incompetent in front of his Alpha. He was young, and she wasn’t oblivious to the various pressures upon him. - - - - - OOC: Who's posting instead of studying certainly not meeeeee nope nope nope.

[Ace]

Footsteps rang out through the hall softly and Ace turned to look over his shoulder at whoever was approaching. At the sight of the Fulsi Alpha, the medic let out a low sigh and then chastised himself silently for not looking more presentable. At least his hands were no longer covered in blood; the same couldn’t be said for his makeshift apron however. Though the red didn’t show up as clearly on the black cloth, it was still noticeable in certain lights but it was hardly his fault. Occupational hazard really and not one Ace could be blamed for. Some of his other medics looked a lot worse for wear and he was glad that the job had somewhat dulled his sense of smell. Blood was not a pleasant thing to anyone, and one’s gag reflex could never be trusted around such a scent. Ace smile over at Charm, nodding slowly in response to her remark. “You have no idea,” he murmured, silently thankful for her presence. It seemed as though her companion was more than willing to follow the alpha’s commands, which meant Ace’s work would get done a lot quicker. Then again, it technically wasn’t even meant to be entirely his work. The omegas and lower ranked medics were supposed to be on clean up until they could be trained to take over proper medic duties. Somehow Ace always ended up doing the cleaning, or chasing after an omega until one finally gave up the fight. Didn’t they realise that if an attack came he would be the one saving their lives? That would be motivation enough to keep him pleased. Deaths weren’t uncommon. In saying that of course, Ace would never be so cruel as to let anyone die for revenge. Still, it wouldn’t help if an omega or two listened to his commands. “Sounds like a plan,” he responded, moving towards the boiling pot of water. He offered a small smile at Jared as the shifter carried the dirty cloths away. Any help was welcomed, even that of a stranger. He felt somewhat guilty watching Charm scrub away at the metal tools, not sure if he should step in and tell her to stop. Though she was not much older than him, he felt sort of like a child in her presence. It was like she was his mother, cleaning up after a messy child, who was forced to watch as the guilt melted him away. He was the one that had created the mess, so why was she the one tidying up afterwards? Perhaps that was simply her role as alpha; she was mother to all of Fulsi and Ace was thankful for that. His own mother had been a timid little thing, terrified of his father and unwilling to speak up. Back then Ace had protected her, but now Charm was taking care of him. Once the first implement was passed to him, Ace set to work. The water was hot, and of course he didn’t want to burn himself, but there was always an easier way to do something. They didn’t need too much time in the water, which made it quick work too. Without touching the metal, he allowed himself to feel its energy beside him. His hand controlled the flow as it lifted into the air, hovering above the pot before he dropped it in. Every few moments he’d rotate his hand over the surface of the water, watching the tool swirl within it. Then, when he was sure it was sterilised, he’d magnetise it towards him, pulling it out and setting it to dry on a towel placed over the bench. Smiling as he worked, Ace listened to the soft hum of his alpha, not wanting to interrupt her. He thought he recognised the song but it had been so long since he had heard any music. A few tools later Charm spoke and Ace turned to get a better look at her. Nodding thoughtfully, he cast his mind back to the other two patients he had treated that evening. “Not as bad as their late companion thankfully. A few cracked ribs, some broken bones and bunch of scars. I’ve healed up some of the minor injuries but I need to recuperate before I can tackle anything more major. Used up most of my energy trying to save the other one.” Generally doctors knew their patients by name but Ace barely had time for that. To him they were all just faces and bodies that he needed to care for. Giving them names would only make it harder when they finally died. After seeing so much death he was immune to it. Often he thought it was all just a big joke to him, like perhaps he would receive a prize for whoever he saved. It was kind of like one of those late night game shows, a Japanese one, where the consequences were brutal. That’s what he signed up for though. He knew what he was getting himself into when he became medic, and even more so when he became chief. He couldn’t let himself sympathise or empathise with the dead or the mourning. They were gone and he had work to do. He always had work to do. “Things would get done a lot quicker if those omegas did their job of course,” he mumbled, not entirely sure if it was to Charm or more to himself. Ace was unsure why he was mentioning this; he didn’t want to come across as needy or helpless, but things needed to get done. “General opinion is I’m too young for the job.” The teen couldn’t quite stop his voice from cracking over the last word and he scowled at himself for being so weak in his speech. Ace continued cleaning the implements, not wanting to make a big deal out of something that had truly was. The thoughts had been nagging at him ever since he had been given the job. Perhaps even Charm agreed; it was Legend that had given him the position after all. He needed this; he knew he needed this. It gave him some sort of purpose and he didn’t want that taken away. He just needed to know if he deserved it. OOC | getting the posties done before xmas!

[Charm]

Charm nodded her understanding and approval. The report was as she expected, and while it was frustrating to have her ringmates out of commission, injuries were generally unavoidable. They were accustomed to the ritual of cycling invalids and able bodies in and out of the medical ward. She was going to let the silence fall, lost in the repetitive motions of scrubbing tools, but the medic continued. Charm snorted. “Of course you’re too young.” Before he could reply, she continued, “As I’m too young to be Alpha, as children are too young to be killers.” Setting down a scalpel, she turned and leaned back against the counter, giving Ace her full attention as she dried her hands. “We are college-age kids at best, toddlers at worst.” A gesture of her hand encompassed the ring at large. “That’s the crux of the Keeper’s cruelty. We are children, raising other children. We do challenging, horrific jobs that are way above our heads. Not a single one of us was prepared for our lot. And yet we muddle through.” What choice did they have? Laying down to die was not in their nature. So, they struggled on. Age was by necessity irrelevant - proficiency was the new defining factor. Turning back to her work, Charm picked the scalpel up again. “Jared is putting the fear of God into the Omegas as we speak. That will make things easier. But they will continue to disrespect you until you respect yourself. You doubt your own ability. I can assure you, though, that you wouldn’t still be Head Medic if you were incompetent.” For the most part, she’d tried to leave the ring’s hierarchy as it was. The biggest challenge had been weeding out Adam’s supporters. With the chaos that project left behind, it was easier to leave well enough alone in other cases. She’d made a few changes, but otherwise subscribed to the policy of not fixing what wasn’t broken. Ace was a perfectly competent medic, he just needed a self-confidence boost. The rigidity of the ring’s structure left no room for insubordination. If those ranked below him finally found someone they could push around, they would jump at the opportunity, as there weren’t many who’d let them get away with it. “That being said, they have no right to disobey you. If they do, don’t be afraid to throw your weight around. Make no mistake, I try to rule fairly, but this is not a democracy. I’m not going to reprimand you for keeping order in the ranks.” Finished with the surgical implements, she set the last one aside and dumped the sanguine water down a drain. “If you’re not comfortable knocking heads together, just give Tarrik their names and tell him they’re on drudge duty until further notice. He’ll see to their assignments.” And take great relish in it, knowing him. That was the standard punishment, though. The Lead Hunter and the HoBP did the same thing. The various leaders didn’t usually interfere in each other’s business, and the Omegas were technically under Tarrik’s purview. Charm would avoid interfering directly unless it became absolutely necessary. It would do nothing for Ace’s position for her to scold the Omegas and Medics into good behavior - if anything, they would resent him for it. - - - - - OOC: Lots of dialogue, sorry /dies

[Fuleao]

Evkav RUMOR

[Ace]

The answer surprised Ace, so much so that he paused his work and turned to look at Charm. It wasn’t that it was cruel, but it was honest and it was something he certainly needed to hear. Eighteen wasn’t the youngest they had seen around the Menagerie and Ace could imagine there were children younger than himself having to do more than his share. It was sad to say the least, and it terrified him to the core. He was a mere boy when he had been thrown into the dome and now he was expected to take care of so many people. Charm too was not that much older than the medic, and yet she was Alpha of entire Ring. She had so many more responsibilities than him and yet he was the one complaining. Of course, he wasn’t complaining about his duties; it was more the fact that he didn’t believe he was fit for the role yet. Nodding slowly, Ace smiled as she encouraged him. “Thank you,” he murmured softly, the open smile crinkling his worn face. “I could always threaten to electrocute them at least,” laughing slightly, he leaned on the counter behind him, setting another scalpel to dry without even looking. His powers seemed to be getting stronger every day and he was getting better at controlling them. A few of the other medics had helped him attach small pieces of metal to medical objects that didn’t already have any in their structure. It made operating just a little bit easier and quicker for the Chief Medic and he was thankful for the strange gift from the Keepers. Though he detested the labs, he seemed to have been granted decent powers from their experiments. Taking the last implement and dumping it in the boiling water, Ace continued to work as he listened to her final few words. His acknowledgement was in the form of a few short nods, before he lay the tool out to dry and turned back around to his alpha. “I’ll be sure to let Tarrik know if I have any real troublemakers then.” Walking back over to the central table, Ace quickly wiped another cloth over it before tossing it in the sink to await cleaning. The metal bench was now perfectly clean, all evidence of death removed from its surface. As far as anyone could tell it was just a plain old bench. Of course, there were a few dents here and there from where patients had become very difficult. That was a rare occurrence but it still happened every now and then. A loud coughing rang out through the hall and Ace’s head whipped around in the direction of the ward. “Mmmm nasty virus that one. Not sure quite what but it’s way meaner than the flu.” Pausing, Ace grew aware that his nonchalant attitude to the infected patient could possibly be perceived in an unfavourable light by his superior. “Ah, excuse my manner Charm. It’s just… death is commonplace here. If I give it power over me, let it make me sad that is, I probably won’t survive in this position.” Frowning, he walked over to the cupboard beside Charm’s head and opened it. Pulling out a few jars that lacked proper labels, he clicked his tongue as he worked. Finally, he pulled out two different jars. Walking over do another work bench he pulled some leaves off the first plant and tossed it into the mortar and pestle tucked away in the corner. “Charlie!” Ace called out, smiling as another teenage boy ran into the room. The older boy handed the mortar and pestle over to the blonde who promptly ran off into the ward, already crushing up the herb. Turning back to Charm, he blushed slightly, realising he had become far too absorbed in his work. “That’s mullein, it’ll help with the cough. This –“ and he held up the second jar –“ is to keep me sharp. Tea?” Smiling, he replaced the water in the pot with fresh water and let it boil. As the bubbles rose, he dropped a few rosemary leaves into it, soaking in the smell. OOC | oh mistletoe... we can totally do this though

[Charm]

Satisfied that they seemed to have moved past the pity party portion of the evening, Charm boosted herself up to sit on the counter. She didn’t begrudge Ace his insecurities, and he seemed to bounce back from them easily enough, but she didn’t have the time or the patience for woe-is-me handholding. He didn’t appear inclined to that, though, and she was happy to move on. An amused snort was the primary response to his apology. “You can handle the stress of your job with all the finesse of a warthog in rut, for all I care, as long as your attitude doesn’t affect your work or your wellbeing. We don’t have the luxury of being perfectly well-adjusted.” While she encouraged compassion in her ringmates, there was a line of practicality that had to be drawn somewhere. If her medics had to be a bit callous, so be it. Better that then they have an existential crisis every time they lost someone. Deaths were, unfortunately, all too common. A fact that she personally couldn’t dwell on too much, or she would drive herself to all-consuming grief. Since it was unlikely that the Lead Hunter would be back yet, she nodded. “Tea would be lovely, thank you.” It was a poor substitute for coffee, but she’d grown used to it, as the Keepers seemed disinclined to enable her caffeine addiction. At least by this point the headaches were a distant memory, though she knew perfectly well she’d risk getting them again if someone offered her a cup or ten. The unrelenting tide of eighteen hour days was doable, but Charm was of the opinion that they’d be much more doable with coffee. Jared ghosted back in while Ace was brewing the tea, once again in wolf form. He settled on the floor beneath Charm’s feet, and she allowed her shoe to brush across the top of his head. “Are you all set on supplies?” she asked, the thought jogged by the memory of the laundry. She wouldn’t put it past someone desperate to prove themselves to try and skate by on whatever was available. Though Ace wouldn’t necessarily do so, someone else in his position may be hesitant to ask for supplies, if they felt doing so was a sign of incompetence. There wasn’t an abundance of extras lying around, but they could modify their hunting and scouting rotations in order to try to target specific types of Keeper drops. Around a yawn, Charm added, “We should probably start stockpiling, even the things that aren’t running low yet. Winter’s just around the corner.” The change in seasons wouldn’t affect their medical needs as much as it did their food and shelter requirements, but it was best to be prepared. If they did run low on something, it was harder to find once winter moved in. Illness would go up, with people spending more time indoors, but the traumatic injuries tended to drop - there were less ring conflicts when no one wanted to step outside longer than necessary. - - - - - OOC: sorry this took 5ever D8

[Ace]

It was good to at least know that Charm was comfortable with him dealing with death however he needed to. Often some of his medics took it upon themselves to call him out on his bluntness; Ace had a retort for each and every one of them. Eventually, however, they each worked out that his method was the least painful of them all. If you don’t get close to the patients then you don’t mourn their loss as you otherwise might. And if you didn’t treat death as some powerful being, then you wouldn’t mind when he came in the night and stole someone away. That was the only way to survive such a task. Smiling at her acceptance of the tea, Ace threw in a couple more leaves for safe measure. The pot was gradually coming to a boil over the fire, and Ace let the soothing smell flow through the room. It was a beautiful scent, calming in itself, but the tea would be sweeter. Rosemary was always his go-to for tea since it was readily available in the dome. He often wondered why the Keepers allowed it to grow in so many places, but he never questioned such a thing. Do that and the Keepers take the nice things away. Stirring the tea slightly, Ace turned his head to the side to better hear Charm’s question. “Mmm,” he murmured softly. Reaching for cups in the upper cupboard, Ace ladled a decent amount into each and passed one over to the alpha. “I went out about a month or so ago with Ethan and we managed to get some decent supplies. I think it’d be best to go out again before winter comes,” as he spoke he nodded slightly, thinking back to the day in the park. It had been so mild then, but already the wind was beginning to nip at him, reminding him of the cold that would be upon them soon. At that point Charlie came running back in with the mortar and pestle, bowing his head slightly at both Ace and Charm. “Thanks Charlie. Leave it on the counter, I’ll have to take him some more before I sleep,” he smiled, moving slightly so the medic could put the herbs down. The medic then quickly crept out of the room, most likely to head to his room for some shut-eye. That kind of thing was rare for Ace. In the past couple days he had barely even been in his room. The couch was decent enough and close to his patients so he could keep an eye on them every hour of the day. “No doubt there’ll be more infections in the winter, so it’d be a good idea to get some more of the important herbs.” Absentmindedly, he glanced over at the cupboard behind Charm where the herbs were all kept. “I don’t mind going out myself – with a scout or hunter of course – because I know what I’m looking for more than the others do.” It wasn’t that he was being intentionally cocky, but Ace felt it necessary to point out that he was more capable at such a task than the other medics. He had also been trained as a scout, which meant he was statistically more likely to survive out in the more dangerous areas of the dome. At the same time, he wasn’t dumb enough to go out on his own. Sipping on his tea, Ace felt it take effect quickly. The aroma was filling the room, making him somewhat drowsy. Smiling over at Charm he put more of his weight on the counter behind him. “I hope you’re at least in good health Charm?” It was posed awkwardly as a question but Ace was genuinely curious. He was rarely visited by the alpha, unlike Legend who seemed to be getting injured a lot more frequently nowadays. It was surprising she kept in such good health, and Ace simply wanted to know if it was genuine or she was hiding things. Besides, in his belief he should constantly be checking the alpha was in good health. She was their leader after all. Ace’s loyalty knew no fault. ooc | sorry for the mega wait on this one! uni is death DX