3rd of Saun, 716, Late Night
How she’d managed to get all the way up to the Infirmary confounded her. She arrived late for work, and they immediately gave her a crutch … why hadn’t she thought of that? Her mind was elsewhere, aloof, pulled in a certain direction as she hobbled on one foot. The Therapist had injured her ankle, and she now bore the humiliation of having to walk around like a cripple. Still, it was another one of those nights, where all had gone home, and she knew it was time to practice the gifts she had been imparted.
Ever since treating, or rather, experimenting upon the man who suffered extreme psychosis, he’d calmed down upon seeing her. Still, when the sedative wore off, the terrors resumed when she was not present. His screams polluted the hallway, muffled behind that closet door when she entered the room. The bandages over his skull were bloody, it seemed they had attempted an operation upon him to fix up his skull. She held his patient manifest in her hand, the updated version, and glanced at it. There was no change in his treatment, curious. Were other doctors using this man as a test subject? Most likely. His treatment plan included ‘Experimental Medicine’, after all.
More importantly, Sintra’s blessing, Lethroda, called to her very soul. That spark within seemed to be hinting at something more she could do. It was a feeling, a feeling that she should tap into it and apply it to herself, to gain control over it. Seemingly, her divine connection allowed her to formulate an idea of what this might be - it was called ‘Eye of the Beholder’.
She sat upon the bed, crutch leaning against the man’s foot, her weight dragging down the mattress slightly. Jilkes, the madman, groaned softly following the end of his terrors upon the sight of her. She comforted him, tore his mind away from the grim and grisly exploration it craved inherently. She brought her palm up to her face to feel the nerves there, to associate that space with the magic she sought to impart. It was difficult, her mind delving deeply within to call upon that power. She soon latched onto it, and began to drag it into the light…
It manifested without direction within her mind initially, just beneath the skin. It was a cool sensation, a blob that she could physically feel through the way it interacted with her nerves. Curiously, as she prodded it with her mind, it responded with her will to move. Gradually, she mentally shifted it across her face, pulling it to her outer skin as it traveled through her body. It seemed she had to manifest it, and then apply it to where she deemed it necessary.
Absent a mirror, Vera had the next best thing. A test subject. She was curious to see how the patient would react to the magic. Would he start to scream in fear again? Would he relax further? It remained to be seen. “My, my, my, Mr. Aervahld, you are quite infatuated with me…” she cooed, slowly and gently leaning over him, careful not to touch him. Her magical guise was spotty, but still beautiful enough to draw attention. The man croaked and moaned softly, eyes trembling when he saw her face. To her surprise, his jaw moved slightly from underneath the bandages, and he tried to speak but one word;
“l-lovely.” It was all he could muster, but Vera was satisfied. That one word told her much combined with the expression in his eyes.
She smiled down at him, those locks of hair surrounding his battered skull as her Witchbrand-scent of flowers, lilys, wafted over him. “I’m glad you like it. I put on special makeup just for you, to give you something pretty to look at aside from the ceiling…” She could feel her illusion starting to slip away, that cold, almost numbing sensation starting to dissipate. She kept her face above his, and as he watched, the magic upon her face started to drift away as if puddles evaporating, impossibly beautiful skin receding, perfectly-sculpted nose narrowing down to something more typical.
The calmed, manic man widened his eyes in surprise. “W-what?” he asked, that change before him so very surprising.
“Yes, Jilkes?” she replied in a soft voice, drifting away as she did to rub her face with her hand, pushing against the skin and studying it, hindsight fueling her. It seems to make me pretty, among the fairest of the fair, but there’s such a small amount, and it doesn’t last for long… It was certainly useful, but potentially dangerous. It didn’t fool others to believe the illusion after it had gone, meaning it was best used for dealing with people she would only have to interact with on occasion, in planned meetings - store owners, market vendors, informants.
Crossing her leg with the injured foot over her lap, she propped the patient manifest upon her leg and read over it one last time, glancing at her patient, then back at the manifest. “I wish I’d asked exactly what treatments they’d given you,” she muttered to herself curiously, even as she further pondered the results of her practice upon him. He was silent ever since her face left his. The closeness seemed to bring enough clarity to reach him, together with the magic. The brain was such a strange thing, sometimes valuing attraction and relationships over the very devices that went haywire inside.
The door to the repurposed closet was closed, but Vera suddenly heard movement outside. She expected someone to burst through the door, but instead she heard movement outside in the hall, followed by the faint creaking sound of the door to her office groaning in complaint upon being opened. Her office was right across from the closet, and whomever went in did not shut the door behind them. Curious.
Grabbing her crutch, Vera got to her feet and hopped over to the door, ignoring Jilkes for now. He whimpered softly, crying out, wanting her to return - but she didn’t, she simply leaned against the door, putting her hand upon it and twisting it left and right upon the surface. She pulled Ether from the surrounding air by force of will, concentrating, focusing on driving it through via the palm of her hand to the other side. Her hand rotated some more, spreading around that connected energy into a palm-sized peephole at eye-level. Then, she pulled her hand away and flicked her wrist, fingers tracing a circle in the air as her mind melded with the connected Ether. A phased portal formed through the wooden surface, creating a small crackling sound on her end - that window opened up crystal clear, allowing her eyes to see through to the other side.
From her office, the door across from it was just that - a door. There was no portal leering at the man who now sat upon her desk, shuffling through papers. The witch knew by the man’s figure that it was Terry, he was looking for something, or perhaps catching himself up on her notes? She was more worried that he might suspect her of magic, or malpractice, but she’d covered her tracks well enough. At least hiding behind a door meant he couldn’t see her, even if she was forced to just watch him rifle through her things. That infuriating little snoop of a mentor…
The Rupturing portal consumed small amounts of Ether with each passing moment Vera fed it with her own internal energies. It wasn’t a two-way portal - it had no true connection. She could place her hand upon it as if it were a pane of glass, eye pressed close as she continued to watch. Suddenly, Teddy picked up a blank piece of paper and wrote something down with black ink and her quill. He left that there, before standing up and tucking in her chair. Ever suspicious, he glanced out at the moon-reflected ocean through her open window before he walked straight toward her.
The advance, despite him being oblivious to her, made Vera recoil slightly before he suddenly turned off down the corridor without making a sound save for his heavy footsteps. Peepholes were very useful for spying on people, especially magical ones, Vera surmised! It was unusual to see the typically day-dwelling Psychologist around these parts so late at night, for she enjoyed the quiet and isolation of the late shift, and rarely, if ever, saw him save for when he had need of her. Flicking her hand again, she displaced the Ether, throwing it into a disorganized mess and causing the portal to collapse with a faint clapping noise. The connection severed, she could no longer feel that drain upon her. There was much to do, and the night was young.
She glanced over at her shoulder to Jilkes who began to moan deliriously, picking up into a shrill wail as she carefully opened the door, her noises obscured by a louder sound. She peaked down the hallway into the shadowy darkness before shutting the door behind her, hastily crossing to avoid detection by someone who might turn the corner and spot her at the moment she moved - people, especially nurses, were often bored late at night, and wanted to converse with someone. It seemed useful to avoid them.
Safe in her office, she shut the door behind herself so people wouldn’t barge in on her and disrupt her train of thought, more of that antisocial behavior driving her actions. She went around to her desk and sat upon her chair, pushing it forward by shifting her weight and dragging with her heels, the chair beneath her moving forward a few inches. Settled in, she leaned forward and looked over Teddy’s note.
Vera,
Jilkes seems to be improving, and I suspect you have been having sessions with him as is expected of you? Please provide to me a detailed explanation of your technique, I am genuinely curious. Today, while you were away, he underwent a surgery to remove fragments of bone from his brain. It was a resounding success!
P.S. I find myself lonely as the heat of Saun rises, would you attend dinner with me and discuss your night work and findings?
It was an … unusual request, but one Vera was more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Teddy had probably already left for home, and it was far too late for any culinary service except perhaps a bar, but that would only mean basic food such as bread. She wasn’t sure how she was going to spin her story around into something believable, though it was nice to know the details on Jilkes’ surgery. Experimental Medicine typically meant less communication, for some reason. Perhaps she should change that? There was a chance he might be given too much of a drug, for example. His papers should be kept in the closet, like a normal medical room.
Ahh, my poor little test subject. I wonder how long you will last?
How she’d managed to get all the way up to the Infirmary confounded her. She arrived late for work, and they immediately gave her a crutch … why hadn’t she thought of that? Her mind was elsewhere, aloof, pulled in a certain direction as she hobbled on one foot. The Therapist had injured her ankle, and she now bore the humiliation of having to walk around like a cripple. Still, it was another one of those nights, where all had gone home, and she knew it was time to practice the gifts she had been imparted.
Ever since treating, or rather, experimenting upon the man who suffered extreme psychosis, he’d calmed down upon seeing her. Still, when the sedative wore off, the terrors resumed when she was not present. His screams polluted the hallway, muffled behind that closet door when she entered the room. The bandages over his skull were bloody, it seemed they had attempted an operation upon him to fix up his skull. She held his patient manifest in her hand, the updated version, and glanced at it. There was no change in his treatment, curious. Were other doctors using this man as a test subject? Most likely. His treatment plan included ‘Experimental Medicine’, after all.
More importantly, Sintra’s blessing, Lethroda, called to her very soul. That spark within seemed to be hinting at something more she could do. It was a feeling, a feeling that she should tap into it and apply it to herself, to gain control over it. Seemingly, her divine connection allowed her to formulate an idea of what this might be - it was called ‘Eye of the Beholder’.
She sat upon the bed, crutch leaning against the man’s foot, her weight dragging down the mattress slightly. Jilkes, the madman, groaned softly following the end of his terrors upon the sight of her. She comforted him, tore his mind away from the grim and grisly exploration it craved inherently. She brought her palm up to her face to feel the nerves there, to associate that space with the magic she sought to impart. It was difficult, her mind delving deeply within to call upon that power. She soon latched onto it, and began to drag it into the light…
It manifested without direction within her mind initially, just beneath the skin. It was a cool sensation, a blob that she could physically feel through the way it interacted with her nerves. Curiously, as she prodded it with her mind, it responded with her will to move. Gradually, she mentally shifted it across her face, pulling it to her outer skin as it traveled through her body. It seemed she had to manifest it, and then apply it to where she deemed it necessary.
Absent a mirror, Vera had the next best thing. A test subject. She was curious to see how the patient would react to the magic. Would he start to scream in fear again? Would he relax further? It remained to be seen. “My, my, my, Mr. Aervahld, you are quite infatuated with me…” she cooed, slowly and gently leaning over him, careful not to touch him. Her magical guise was spotty, but still beautiful enough to draw attention. The man croaked and moaned softly, eyes trembling when he saw her face. To her surprise, his jaw moved slightly from underneath the bandages, and he tried to speak but one word;
“l-lovely.” It was all he could muster, but Vera was satisfied. That one word told her much combined with the expression in his eyes.
She smiled down at him, those locks of hair surrounding his battered skull as her Witchbrand-scent of flowers, lilys, wafted over him. “I’m glad you like it. I put on special makeup just for you, to give you something pretty to look at aside from the ceiling…” She could feel her illusion starting to slip away, that cold, almost numbing sensation starting to dissipate. She kept her face above his, and as he watched, the magic upon her face started to drift away as if puddles evaporating, impossibly beautiful skin receding, perfectly-sculpted nose narrowing down to something more typical.
The calmed, manic man widened his eyes in surprise. “W-what?” he asked, that change before him so very surprising.
“Yes, Jilkes?” she replied in a soft voice, drifting away as she did to rub her face with her hand, pushing against the skin and studying it, hindsight fueling her. It seems to make me pretty, among the fairest of the fair, but there’s such a small amount, and it doesn’t last for long… It was certainly useful, but potentially dangerous. It didn’t fool others to believe the illusion after it had gone, meaning it was best used for dealing with people she would only have to interact with on occasion, in planned meetings - store owners, market vendors, informants.
Crossing her leg with the injured foot over her lap, she propped the patient manifest upon her leg and read over it one last time, glancing at her patient, then back at the manifest. “I wish I’d asked exactly what treatments they’d given you,” she muttered to herself curiously, even as she further pondered the results of her practice upon him. He was silent ever since her face left his. The closeness seemed to bring enough clarity to reach him, together with the magic. The brain was such a strange thing, sometimes valuing attraction and relationships over the very devices that went haywire inside.
The door to the repurposed closet was closed, but Vera suddenly heard movement outside. She expected someone to burst through the door, but instead she heard movement outside in the hall, followed by the faint creaking sound of the door to her office groaning in complaint upon being opened. Her office was right across from the closet, and whomever went in did not shut the door behind them. Curious.
Grabbing her crutch, Vera got to her feet and hopped over to the door, ignoring Jilkes for now. He whimpered softly, crying out, wanting her to return - but she didn’t, she simply leaned against the door, putting her hand upon it and twisting it left and right upon the surface. She pulled Ether from the surrounding air by force of will, concentrating, focusing on driving it through via the palm of her hand to the other side. Her hand rotated some more, spreading around that connected energy into a palm-sized peephole at eye-level. Then, she pulled her hand away and flicked her wrist, fingers tracing a circle in the air as her mind melded with the connected Ether. A phased portal formed through the wooden surface, creating a small crackling sound on her end - that window opened up crystal clear, allowing her eyes to see through to the other side.
From her office, the door across from it was just that - a door. There was no portal leering at the man who now sat upon her desk, shuffling through papers. The witch knew by the man’s figure that it was Terry, he was looking for something, or perhaps catching himself up on her notes? She was more worried that he might suspect her of magic, or malpractice, but she’d covered her tracks well enough. At least hiding behind a door meant he couldn’t see her, even if she was forced to just watch him rifle through her things. That infuriating little snoop of a mentor…
The Rupturing portal consumed small amounts of Ether with each passing moment Vera fed it with her own internal energies. It wasn’t a two-way portal - it had no true connection. She could place her hand upon it as if it were a pane of glass, eye pressed close as she continued to watch. Suddenly, Teddy picked up a blank piece of paper and wrote something down with black ink and her quill. He left that there, before standing up and tucking in her chair. Ever suspicious, he glanced out at the moon-reflected ocean through her open window before he walked straight toward her.
The advance, despite him being oblivious to her, made Vera recoil slightly before he suddenly turned off down the corridor without making a sound save for his heavy footsteps. Peepholes were very useful for spying on people, especially magical ones, Vera surmised! It was unusual to see the typically day-dwelling Psychologist around these parts so late at night, for she enjoyed the quiet and isolation of the late shift, and rarely, if ever, saw him save for when he had need of her. Flicking her hand again, she displaced the Ether, throwing it into a disorganized mess and causing the portal to collapse with a faint clapping noise. The connection severed, she could no longer feel that drain upon her. There was much to do, and the night was young.
She glanced over at her shoulder to Jilkes who began to moan deliriously, picking up into a shrill wail as she carefully opened the door, her noises obscured by a louder sound. She peaked down the hallway into the shadowy darkness before shutting the door behind her, hastily crossing to avoid detection by someone who might turn the corner and spot her at the moment she moved - people, especially nurses, were often bored late at night, and wanted to converse with someone. It seemed useful to avoid them.
Safe in her office, she shut the door behind herself so people wouldn’t barge in on her and disrupt her train of thought, more of that antisocial behavior driving her actions. She went around to her desk and sat upon her chair, pushing it forward by shifting her weight and dragging with her heels, the chair beneath her moving forward a few inches. Settled in, she leaned forward and looked over Teddy’s note.
Vera,
Jilkes seems to be improving, and I suspect you have been having sessions with him as is expected of you? Please provide to me a detailed explanation of your technique, I am genuinely curious. Today, while you were away, he underwent a surgery to remove fragments of bone from his brain. It was a resounding success!
P.S. I find myself lonely as the heat of Saun rises, would you attend dinner with me and discuss your night work and findings?
It was an … unusual request, but one Vera was more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Teddy had probably already left for home, and it was far too late for any culinary service except perhaps a bar, but that would only mean basic food such as bread. She wasn’t sure how she was going to spin her story around into something believable, though it was nice to know the details on Jilkes’ surgery. Experimental Medicine typically meant less communication, for some reason. Perhaps she should change that? There was a chance he might be given too much of a drug, for example. His papers should be kept in the closet, like a normal medical room.
Ahh, my poor little test subject. I wonder how long you will last?
