Private LINGERING SCARS - a lesson in healing

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Field Attire | Sigil Bead Earring
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike | Legion Long Range Precision Rifle Mark I

"Aadihr—"

Pressure on the wound-

"Aadihr, you really need t—"

Locate the artery-

“Knight Aadihr Lidos,”

Seal the bloodflow-

“Would you stop for one kriffing second and let someone else take over?! You’re going to drop if you keep this up!"

Aadihr halted as the Entropite beam out the patient to sleep. Only then did he truly process anything he heard, having been focused on the patients in the the tent. The ones in the adjacent tent waiting to be treated. More who on the way to the refugee camp. If he slowed down now, those who arrived later would be at risk.

Azurine was right. It would be worse if he wasn't able to guide them. Aadihr anchored his Sight back to his body, observing Azurine's aura. It still has pain and frustration, but this close, the concern was visible too, something he didn't notice prior - lying just underneath the other emotions.

Aadihr shook his head, re-centering himself, realizing he had gripped the gurney for balance. Looking at the other auras, morale was certainly strained. Aris had blocked himself in emotionally, appearing as an opaque gray in the force spectrum.

Fear gave way to resolve with Roman as he recovered his composure and performed a lightsaber amputation - the right move based upon the concern reflected in Corazona.

"Knight Aadhir?" he asked, his voice a little too high-pitched. "What do I do with this?"

"What is tha- oh... Wrap it in a biohazard bag and put it in the bin next to the used Bacta injector disposal." Aadihr had trouble making out the limb as the light of the force faded from it, becoming just a translucent organic husk in the shape of a limb.

"Although the shoulder is cauterized, we now have a lightsaber wound to treat - you two made the right call; Aris, excellent work with the Entropite as an impromptu anaesthetic. I'm sure you're aware, but be careful using that if the patient has a heart condition or is in shock - despite its relative safety, cardiac arrest is still a risk factor when their body is struggling." Aadihr felt lightheaded again. Still trying to lecture even after he over-healed.
" Bacta and bandage the burn, they'll be fine. We have more to attend to."

Aadihr remained standing even as the gurney was wheeled off. Aadihr stepped closer to Azurine almost on autopilot. "Azzie, I... I'm sorry." Something clicked. Aadihr wasn't apologizing for wearing himself out, but for putting her in a position of caring about someone like him, only so that she could see him throw himself in harms way again and again, even after she confided in him about the pain of losing someone else she cares about, and then keeping her at arms length on top of it all. He couldn't find the words to convey the emotion, nor did it seem appropriate as new patients hovered in.
"I'm sorry" he repeated. For his inability to communicate, even as simple as Aris made it sound.

Three more patients wheeled in - dehydration, blaster injury, and another bombing victim. The third was a transparent husk, light of the force gone, already dead before they made it to the medical tent.

"Well done, all around." Aadihr said, returning to normal volume. "I mentioned at the start of class that healing with the force efficiently was valuable - donating your own life energy as a mirror to the darkside's draining of it. In the event you spend too much of yourself healing, you will experience exhaustion, nausea, shortness of breath, and vertigo. If you are especially reckless and continue, your heart will stop."

Aadihr motioned to himself as he sat at a stool on the side of the room, " foolishly, I have made myself an example of what happens when you heal past what you can spare. The best cure is food, water, and rest. Please: as you continue, be mindful of how much energy you expend. I will just need a moment."

Aris Noble | Azurine Varek | Roman Vossari | Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Aris Noble]

The arm was severed, and the scent of burnt flesh brought with it further pushed Aris right back into the logical side of his brain. Don't think about it. Don't remember. Don't think about the bodies. People still needed help. He only gave Aadihr a nod before he turned to start helping the others as they came in. Moving supplies, tools, even the heavier machinery quickly to where it was needed. He couldn't actively heal himself, but he could get what others might need to help.

And it let him keep moving. He needed to keep moving.

Aadihr Lidos | Corazona von Ascania | Roman Vossari | Azurine Varek

 

[Roman Vossari]

Tags: Corazona von Ascania | Aadihr Lidos | Azurine Varek | Azurine Varek

​

Roman stood there, the severed arm still held aloft, unsure of what to do with it. He glanced around, a slightly panicked expression on his face, searching for the biohazard bag and the bin Aadhir had mentioned. His eyes darted between the gurneys being wheeled in and out, the hurried movements of the other medics, looking for the specified disposal area. "Biohazard... bin..." He muttered to himself, tilting his head, a little flustered.

As Aadhir's attention shifted towards the new arrivals, Roman's gaze dropped back to the dismembered appendage in his hand. It was still floppy, still surprisingly heavy, and for some reason, it now held a strange fascination. A playful glint flickered in his eyes, replacing the initial apprehension. A smirk began to curl at the corner of his lips.

He turned slightly, spotting Cora nearby. "Cora!" he called out, his voice a touch too cheerful for the surroundings. He held out the arm, a twinkle in his eyes. "Check this out." Then, Roman swung the arm, attempting to flop it playfully onto her shoulder with a mischievous grin.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

With the big decision executed, Cora turned her attention to the scorched wound on the soldier's stump of a shoulder. Her gloved hands pressed gently to either side of the charred tissue, carefully knitting together the layers of skin beneath as best she could.

Roman called her name, then she felt something. On her own shoulder, a hand. A cold, dead hand.

With her brow knit in confusion, Cora turned to find her apprentice wielding the dead soldier's arm with a grin. Her eyes flared wide, a storm of disbelief brewing. She inhaled sharply, the prelude to a reprimand, but then paused.

Alarm replaced the shock in her expression. Cora sprinted from the tent, her mouth shoved into the crook of her elbow. Not a moment after the tent's flap closed, did the sound of retching emanate from the outside.

Roman Vossari Aadihr Lidos Azurine Varek Aris Noble

 

[Azurine Varek]

Healing Hands

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

Azzie's fists clenched at her sides, her anger nearly boiling over. If they weren't in a medical tent in the middle of hands-on learning, she would have straight up punched Aadihr right then there. She had to bite her tongue to keep anything else from spilling over, her nails digging into her palms as if to steady herself.

Though she was grateful that she no longer had to concentrate on manipulating a force barrier in a way she never had before, it was hard for her to keep her composure the moment Roman took a lightsaber to the arm. It was smart, immediate cauterization when in a situation where seconds counted. However, pain shot across her right arm, even though it wasn't biological, nor did it have any synthetic nerves. Taking a quick step back, she cast her gaze to the side, and her hand rose to the talisman around her neck to block out the sounds and smells of the past that threatened to pull her away from the moment.

Azzie didn't know how much time had passed before her breathing had settled.

"Azzie, I... I'm sorry."

The words only made her frustration that much worse, mixing with the guilt that never left as she glanced at his still-wrapped arm. "There's only one of you, you idiot. Just sit the fark down and maybe, I don't know, focus on your padawan for a bit." She gritted her teeth and quickly moved on to assess the others.

It didn't take her long to notice Roman, still brandishing the poor man's severed arm like some kind of toy. She cringed, her own situation with her arm being at the forefront of her mind. Not only that, but it was a clear level of childishness and utter disrespect that made gaze flare with clear anger. Her eyes narrowed as Cora quickly fled the tent, unable to stomach it.

Nope. Absolutely not. That ends right now.

"Roman, what in the bowels of a sarlacc pit—you're waving around a man's arm in front of other people who need help! Did you even consider how that might affect them? Maybe show a little kriffing respect! Is this really the kind of image you want for yourself?!" Azzie yelled, swiftly moving over to forcefully snatch the arm out of his hand. Her tone softened only slightly as she continued, though it still kept a dull sting, "I know you were taught better than that, so act like it."

Aadihr Lidos | Aris Noble | Corazona von Ascania | Roman Vossari​

 

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Clothes, Earring, Bangle
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike

"There's only one of you, you idiot. Just sit the fark down and maybe, I don't know, focus on your padawan for a bit."

Aadihr sat and let the world steady a bit more, still waving occasionally to keep the medics on the task at hand.

Contrary to Azzie's words however, his own Padawan was actually a point of pride in this moment. The horseplay and scolding, the vomiting and chiding - none of it was comforting for people who might be observing this as their last moments in this life.

As all this happened, Aris quietly made himself useful, supporting the medics as best he could without stretching himself thin. Aadihr rose, walking past the Roman and Azzie to Aris, "Thank you, Aris, you're doing very well. Shout if you need anything, I'll be right back."

Aadihr reached past Aris to grab a stack of bedpans, a smirk both grim and sly on his face. Brandishing the glorified toilet buckets, Aadihr called out. "Azzie, please check on Knight Von Ascania if you would."

The silent smile on Aadihr's eyeless face almost carried equal parts malice and pity. More ominous was the soft, kind tone he spoke with.
"Roman, it seems you need some assistance locating the Biohazard wraps and organic waste bin." Aadihr handed the redhead the small stack of bedpans.

"You'll find them at the northeast corner of each medical tent. If you would be so kind, I believe the infirmary for the stabilized patients could use a hand." Aadihr waved over an orderly, "this woman here will tell you how to use these." Aadihr turned to the orderly, "Padawan Vossari has just earned himself a special assignment with the antics we just saw. Please see to it he is thorough and careful."

Aadihr waved them off to the adjacent open-air tent with a "hopefully you will remember where organic medical waste goes by the time you've cleaned up over there."

Aris Noble | Corazona von Ascania | Azurine Varek | Roman Vossari​

 

[Roman Vossari]

Tags: Corazona von Ascania | Aadihr Lidos | Azurine Varek | Aris Noble

​

Roman's eyes widened, gauging Cora's reaction. He had expected a sharp reprimand, maybe a theatrical eye roll, but she just fled. A strange emptiness settled in his chest, a small deflation of his earlier playful mood. He shook the arm a little again, a lingering smirk flickering at the corner of his lips but mostly disappearing. But his moment of subdued fun was quickly replaced by Azurine storming over, ready to unleash on him for his harmless, admittedly ill-timed, joke. Blue eyes stared back, his grip on the severed arm tightening across his body, not sure what to say. He glanced around at the suffering of the others around him and a flush of embarrassment crept up his neck. Okay, wrong place to joke, he thought.

To his relief, Aadhir sent Azurine to check on Cora, a move that felt like a small reprieve. He knew he'd probably have to apologize to his Master later for not thinking before he acted. Roman quickly took the bedpans that Aadhir gave him, somehow attempting to juggle them with the severed arm still tucked under his elbow. He groaned as the orderly ushered him along towards his "special assignment" – whatever that entailed. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to have any fun with his assignment.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris sort of made a sound, but he was well off in his own need to not think and just focused on moving stuff around as needed, as quick as he could without making problems. He just needed to work right now.

Azurine Varek | Aadihr Lidos | Corazona von Ascania | Roman Vossari

 

[Azurine Varek]

Healing Hands

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

Azzie was practically one step away from losing what little composure she had left on Roman when he refused to release the bloodied arm she'd attempted to take from him to dispose of. If looks could kill, the smoke in her violet eyes would have been enough as they locked with the other padawan's. There was a time and a place for that kind of dark humor, and the middle of an emergency tent was absolutely not one of them. Her fists clenched at her sides, opening her mouth to speak again but being swiftly cut off by Aadihr.

She cast her gaze to the side. Some of her black hair fell into her face as she muttered a couple of curses under her breath and stepped away. Though the frustration remained, she caught sight of the bedpans in the Miraluka's hands, and she had to keep herself from chuckling. She didn't have to hear what he said as she walked briskly out of the tent to know what was being asked.

Azzie grabbed a bag swiftly as she left without saying a word, rounding the corner to Cora, who was obviously not in the best state. Her clothing was still covered in blood, and it was hard to ignore the retching. Rather than say anything—at least at first—she moved to hand the councilor the bag and then reached forward to pull her long blonde hair out from the line of fire and hold it behind her.

"I don't know if we wear the same size, but I have some things you could change into on my ship later." She finally spoke up, deciding to comb a disposable cloth through her hair to get whatever could have gotten into it out while she kept it back for her.

Aadihr Lidos | Aris Noble | Corazona von Ascania | Roman Vossari​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora took the bag from Azurine without another word, and hunched herself over it. The cool cloth felt nice, and it was a relief to have her hair pulled back.

Ashla, this was embarrassing. For a Jedi Knight and a Councilor, no less. While generally unfazed by grisly sights in the heat of battle, something about down and dirty healing turned her stomach. Her one solace was that she'd just managed to make it outside of the tent before losing her lunch.

"I'm sorry," Cora rasped as she tied a knot in the bag. "That was…most unbecoming. But thank you. A change of clothes would be nice, once we've finished." She smiled, faint and awkward. "I hope I haven't caused too much trouble, especially after Knight Lidos took the time to teach us."

She was worried about Roman, too. Now that there'd been some distance between herself and the…arm incident, she could recognize it as an attempt to dispel nerves. An inappropriate one, but a gesture made out of anxious energy.

After her hair had been sufficiently cleaned, Cora took a deep breath and turned back to Azzie. "Thank you again, truly. I'd like to go back inside now - we've patients to tend to, and I'd like to see how Roman is faring."

Azurine Varek Aadihr Lidos Roman Vossari Aris Noble

 

[Roman Vossari]

Tags: Corazona von Ascania | Azurine Varek | Aadihr Lidos | Aris Noble

​

Roman shuffled back into the tent, the lingering scent of his special assignment clinging to him. Bedpan duty had been a rough, unpleasant lesson, a far cry from the playful jest he'd intended. He hoped the experience hadn't added to Knight Aadhir's already weary demeanor as he shuffled to a stop in front of him. "Sorry, sir," he mumbled, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Thank you for the lesson, I learned a lot." He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of his blunder settle heavier.

He then ambled over to Aris, who was calmly tending to a patient, a stark contrast to Roman's internal turmoil. "Sorry, Aris." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. It felt inadequate, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Then came Azurine, unsure if she would yell at him again. "Sorry, Az," he said, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I should be more mature."

Finally, Roman's gaze drifted over to Cora, a nervous knot twisting in his gut. He kept a few feet between them, acutely aware of the less-than-pleasant aroma that surrounded him. "I'm sorry, Master," he said, his eyes downcast, unable to meet her gaze. "I should know better. It wasn't my intention to make you sick." A small, genuine fear tugged at him. He genuinely hadn't meant to upset her, and the thought that his actions had caused her discomfort made his chest ache. He just hoped he hadn't completely shattered the trust she had placed in him. He hated that he had let her down.

 

[Azurine Varek]

Healing Hands

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

Azzie found herself chuckling a bit, even if the frustration from before still lingered in the forefront of her mind. It was clear this was her first time in a medical emergency tent, and that wasn't her fault. "Unbecoming, my poodoo shoot," she started while she finished getting a bit of crusted blood out of Cora’s hair. "You handled it better than some soldiers I've seen. It's rough... battle is one thing. Being surrounded by those affected is another..." Her words trailed off, glancing at the ground. Maybe she had been a little too harsh back there.

"If anything, Aadihr overextended himself too much. I don't know if anyone expected there to be this many rough emergencies." She said, a bit of that agitation and worry slipping back into her voice. "You definitely did more to help than you probably think. You're on the council for a reason, right?" She gave her a grin and a light, playful shove to the shoulder.

With that, Azzie nodded at the suggestion to head back. There was likely more to be dealt with. She didn't have the chance to even take stock of what might have happened since then, Roman approaching with the disappointment sadness clear in his aura. She immediately felt that bad feeling come rushing back. Even if he needed to hear what she'd said, she definitely didn't need to go about it in the way that she had. "I shouldn't have snapped like that—"

And he had already moved on.

She sighed, though her attention was brought quickly to the person who had just lost their arm, panicking and in tears after waking up. She found herself moving to sit at the side and pushing the sleeve of her armored robes up to expose just how far her cybernetic went up. Then went on to converse with him about the alternatives. That even if it's hard to deal with, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage if he didn't want to be, as there were plenty of options, answering any questions he might have along the way.

Aadihr Lidos | Aris Noble | Corazona von Ascania | Roman Vossari​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

As Azzie helped to clean specks of dried blood from her hair, Cora wiped a cloth over her lips, trying to remove the lingering smell of vomit from her person. The Padawan's kind words had her faint smile shifting into something a little more genuine.

"You think so?" she laughed softly. "I suppose we all have our weaknesses to contend with. Mine is…this, and Aadihr's is working too much."

There was a spark in her eyes, one that recognized an unspoken connection between Azurine and Knight Lidos. It would remain unspoken, for now.

Roman approached, head hung low. Cora's lips pursed into a frown, noting the…unpleasant scent that lingered. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a small vial of liquid and gave Roman a quick spritz.

"Emergency perfume," she declared. Now he smelled like a floral outhouse.

"Roman," her voice lowered as she placed a hand atop his shoulder. "I won't act as though I've never made my share of poor decisions. What matters is that you learned from yours."

Cora squeezed once, hoping that the gesture would draw his remorseful eyes to her. She smiled. "That was…a lot for us both to see, I think. Be proud that your quick reaction time might've saved a man's life today."

Azurine Varek Roman Vossari Aadihr Lidos Aris Noble