[OPEN]

[defibrillating]

WHO: Zian & any visitors
WHAT: Loud music in the med lab, and one bored eggplant nurse.
WHERE: Nurse's office, ground floor
WHEN: Today!
WARNING(S): Currently none. Just bad taste in music.

After the U-Men incident and the follow-ups, it had been rather calm in the medical department. A few scratches, sprains and a belly ache had been the only thing Zian had to worry about. Instead, he had taken time to familiarize himself with both the ground floor office and med lab, as well as the infirmary and research labs down in the sub-levels. The nurse's office was kind of his home, however, leaving the more serious stuff to the doctors.

That meant that he also ended up personalizing it a bit with some nice, comic-book posters to make the kids feel more at ease, as well as his precious water boiler for the days he just wanted something warmer in his feeding tube. (Though he usually said it was used for tea just in case he'd gross anyone out... plus some might actually want tea while talking symptoms.)

It also included one technopath-made boombox, because his dad had been awesome. It was currently playing rather loud music, easily heard in the corridors outside the nurse's office. Someone liked ridiculously chipper pop songs, right?

Comments

[garganteren]

Eren, predictably, gave off nearly visible waves of irritation as he entered the office. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be at the school at all, but since he had no choice in that, he would rather stay in his room or anywhere away from people. Unfortunately, in spite of his boycotting as many things as possible, he did have to involve himself with the rest of the school somewhat.

"I'm here for a test. Or something."

He assumed someone would know what he was talking about. Apparently, there was something weird about him, so they wanted to keep drawing his blood and monitor him. Not that he trusted them, but he'd cooperate for now. Once they let their guard down, maybe he could get out of here and go back home.

[defibrillating]

Zian didn't notice Eren at all until the boy spoke, far too busy messing with his phone to actually pay attention. Usually people knocked first... but then again, the music was kind of loud and Zian had forgotten to note down Eren's appointment, thinking he had some free time to waste by playing Angry Birds.

At the sound of the irritable boy's voice, however, he jerked in surprise, almost knocking over a nearby tray of medical supplies. His orange eyes were wide and the sharktoothed mouth under the mask bared in mild shock. It took the medic a breath or two to start signing, his translator reading the signs and speaking for him with that mellow, slightly robotic voice. "Whoa, hey! You surprised me."

Looks like he was playing Moody Teen, now.

Brushing back the metallic dreads, Zian stands up and walks over to fetch Eren's journal, already knowing what name to look for. The kid had left a rather bitter impression on Zian while raving about the MRA, but most of the bitterness came from worry about the kid's mental health.

"Oh, yeah. Blood tests. CBC, BMP, enzymes... the whole nine yards," Zian signs, eying the boy. "You afraid of needles?"

[garganteren]

Eren hadn't knocked first. He had stormed in, although it was a more moderate form of storming, where Eren was concerned. He recoiled when Zian turned toward him, even though he'd seen him before. He still wasn't used to the more outlandish looking mutants. But he didn't look away or step back. He wasn't going to be intimidated! Instead of apologizing, he shrugged, as if to say that wasn't any of his concern. He had to be here. He didn't have to be polite about it. They'd forced him to come, and if they didn't like how he acted, that was their fault.

"Yeah, that stuff." He didn't know too much about it, and he didn't like to think about the fact that his cells weren't normal human cells. If he wasn't intent on playing along a little, for his own reasons, he would have had to be physically escorted here, but he could deal with this for a little while. He hoped they weren't going to use his blood in any weird experiments.

At the question, he narrowed his eyes. "I'm not afraid."

[defibrillating]

Recoiling wasn't uncommon when people saw him, and for some reason it hurt less when Eren did it than when others did. It was more expected, somehow. On top of all the kid's problems, that was the least offensive. Zian just shrugged slightly, turning off the music and gesturing to a seat.

"Good! Take a seat, will you, and roll up your arm. On any side, I'm not picky," Zian signed while hunting for the extra-large gloves in the nearby cabinet. They were a tight fit, but they worked.

Using a foot to roll over the cart with the tray of testing equipment, he looked over the vials to choose from and picked up a few, writing down Eren's name on them and setting them in the small vial rocker. "Lets see if we can find a nice and plump vein to fill these with!"

[garganteren]

"Ugh, fine." Eren didn't bother to hide his disgust with the situation, but then, he generally didn't bother to hide his emotions. He hesitated before sitting down, considering changing his mind about cooperating. It wasn't as if he wanted to be touched by some mutant, even if he was wearing gloves. The fact that he was huge and inhuman in appearance didn't help Eren warm to him. Why would they let someone like that work with kids, anyway?

But he did sit down, rolling up his sleeve, his glare intensifying and his body tensing, his hands clenching, as if he were about to hit something. He continued to watch Zian with suspicion, keeping his gaze fixed on him intently. He wasn't sure what Zian might do, but he wasn't going to let his guard down.

[defibrillating]

Eren kept acting like Zian was going to take of his mask and eat him, something that was a little bit endearing to the large elf. He slowed his movements a bit to not scare (or stress out) the kid even more, just carefully teaching out and taking his arm, gently examining it for a brief moment. Seemingly satisfied, Zian then reaches for some cotton and alcohol, cleaning the area of a nice vein.

If he could, he'd be humming, too.

"There we go. Now you'll just feel a slight prick for a moment, and it will be over. All I have to do then is fill the vials and you can get out of here. Maybe have some food, I heard it was pizza day in the cafeteria." Food was a good motivator for growing teens, right?

[garganteren]

Although Eren's tension didn't fade and his glaring didn't lessen, he remained still and steely as Zian took his arm and touched him, although his lip curled slightly. He didn't see how anyone could argue that mutants were still human when they looked like this. They really were monsters.

As the the needle pricked his flesh, a faint steam immediately started to rise from the tiny wound as it instantly tried to heal itself. Eren looked away for the first time. They'd done this before, and he knew his arm would try to heal around the needle. It could be pulled out afterward, but it was still weird, and he didn't like it.

"I won't eat in the cafeteria unless they make me. I'd rather eat in my room."

[thirdarrow]

Takakage had left the Institute temporarily after the U-Man attack, flying out of the states as soon as the wounded were seen to. Coming back again was still a little jarring, despite the fact that he had already been here for a few months. And of course, first thing he does after settling the urgent paperwork is to visit his closest friend.

The doctor eases the door open as silently as he can - though it wouldn't make much of a difference given Zian's taste in music. He closes it after he enters, ensuring that the sound wouldn't disturb anyone passing by.

"Hello, Zian. I see you've been keeping the kids well." He says this with an amused smile.

[defibrillating]

Zian beams as he sees the doctor, jumping up from his seat with a wide grin under the mask. "Hey doc! Welcome back!" He signs happily, moving to turn off the music and then facing the light-haired Asian man again.

It had been a little weird to work alone for a while, with so many kids around and no actually licensed practitioner available, even just for backup. Still, the medic had managed well, and with his healing powers, there were no immediate emergencies that he couldn't zap.

...but it was nice to see his friend again.

"How have you been? Did you travel okay?"

[thirdarrow]

"I've been well." He chuckles a little, folding his hands together neatly. "I headed out to meet my brother. He does Skype me every day, but seeing him in person is something else."

Though he doesn't say for what purpose. He is alright with letting Zian know if the other asks, but the matter he met up with his brother to solve is a lot more morbid. And ultimately, it had been futile. Their family's killer had gotten away again.

In any case, he offers the box he had been holding to his friend. "I went to Hokkaido, and the milk is famous there. Of course, bringing it here in liquid form is a little difficult, but I procured some of the powdered version." It's the best he could find, in any case.

"Shall I make some tea?"

[defibrillating]

"I'm glad to hear that," Zian signs back with a bright look in his orange eyes. "It's nice to see family... I hope you had a good time!" The medic wasn't going to ask anything more detailed about the trip, just happy that Takakage was home safely and got to see his family.

When he's presented with a gift, however, Zian's face lit up with both surprise and happiness, carefully accepting the box. He wasn't used to getting presents (or souvenirs) from anyone other than his mom, so it was extra exciting for the young man. Listening to Takakage, Zian seems a little thoughtful and curious as he looks the box over. Powdered milk form Hokkaido? Pretty cool!

"Wow, thank you! I bet it's really good for you... maybe it'll help boost my immune system for the flu season! what does it taste like?" It had been more than ten years since Zian had tasted milk, so he was a little rusty about it.

Nodding at the mention of tea - Taka knew where the water boiler was - he keeps trying to read the box with a dumb smile on his face, failing horribly since he only knew a few geeky words in Japanese and no kanji or even kana.

[thirdarrow]

"Ah, well... milky, I suppose." He chuckled a little at his own attempted pun. "It's sort of sweet, with a decent amount of lipids and other biological molecules. Some people find it a little too rich for their taste, so they take it sparingly. It does go well with tea, though."

With that, he makes his way over to the boiler, expertly drawing out a few orbs of water and adding the teabags. It is then a simple matter of getting the water to swirl properly and infuse the tea.

"Would you like some? I could re-hydrate the milk too, if you'd like." It had been a little difficult trying to get something that Zian could actually use without getting it confiscated at immigrations, so he had fallen upon food as a last resort. Liquids should be fine... right?

[defibrillating]

Zian seems quite excited about the milk for someone who couldn't taste or eat normally, but this was not only a present but a cool foreign present from a famous place and the medic was a huge nerd. He walks over to one of the medical cabinets, taking out an empty, thicker IV bag and opening the top.

"Please do! It's almost time for me to eat, anyway, and I should start with something fun for once." He just needed to make sure the tea wasn't scolding hot before he attached everything where it should be.

Zian pauses, though, remembering what he was doing and looking slightly awkward. "Um, this doesn't bother you, right?" Takakage was a doctor, after all. Surely that would be less embarrassing.

[jolie_aile]

Flandre knocked before anything else; even though her hand (ungloved today) was on the doorknob and she heard fairly loud music from the office, she wasn't going to just barge in. That would have been rude.

"Hello, doctor?" She tried to raise her voice a little, though, to compensate.

[defibrillating]

Zian didn't hear the knock thanks to the music, but her voice does come though and he stands up quickly, rushing to turn off the boombox and open the door. Peering down at her, he smiles a little behind the mask. Raising his hands, the purple man starts signing, the somewhat robotic translator in his mask speaking for him. "Hey! Miss Scarlet, right? The doc isn't in, so it's just me here until he comes back."

He didn't want to be confused for a doctor, no matter if he had the same skills. A nurse or a medic worked fine. "Are you here for the transfusion?"

[jolie_aile]

It was still a bit of a surprise when she met someone taller than herself; the pause at least led neatly into patiently waiting for the mask to speak. Flandre did tilt her head a little when he mentioned the doctor being absent--wasn't he one, too...? Ah, nevermind.

"Yes, that's right. I may need an extra unit this time."

[defibrillating]

Seven feet was taller than most, so Zian did nothing but look down all day. This was a pretty tall girl, though, and she seemed nice enough to ignore his lazy break and the loud music he'd played.

Gesturing for her to come in and take a seat, Zian goes to pick out her chart. "Let's see..." he signs, stepping back to her with a grin. "I'll have to check your levels so we don't fill you up until you pop. That would be messy."

[jolie_aile]

That actually makes Flandre laugh, her wings fluttering a little before folding back and behaving again so she could sit down properly.

"I don't think that will be a problem with me," she said, though the image of a mosquito bursting wiggled into her mind anyway. She shook her head a little to dismiss the image, and rolled up her sleeve almost automatically by now.

[defibrillating]

The girl was cute when she laughed, and those wings were interesting. making sure she could fit well into the chair, he then goes to grab the equipment and gloves. Snapping them on, Zian rolls over a stool and plops down on it.

"Alright, then! Looks like you got all of this down to a T. Blood pressure first! Then we'll do pulse, temperature and hemoglobin count. After that we'll make sure to dose you up with some good old plasma!"

He reaches to wrap the blood pressure cuff around her arm and inflates it slowly.

[knighterrantofthedragon]

Alric is surely in at some point just for a regular checkup or the like. And he hasn't actually met this friendly, if peculiar, medic before. When he's not acknowledged at first, though, he knocks lightly on the doorframe, smiling patiently... and maybe just a bit amused.

Ahem.

[defibrillating]

Zian stumbled out of his chair at the knock, slightly wide-eyed for a moment. The surprise waned, soon to be replaced by embarrassment as he hurried to turn off the music. That had been a little less professional than he would have liked.

"Shit, sorry!" He signs, the translator in his mask picking up the movements and speaking for him. "...and sorry again for swearing. Hi!"

[knighterrantofthedragon]

Well. That's all together about the strangest introduction possible, but Alric just grins a little, glancing aside a moment. Partly to give Zian a chance to collect himself, and partly to take his own moment; he had seen some most unusual people, particularly since his arrival at the Institute, but Zian was hard to top. He did, however, keep his demeanor light and amiable, looking back again after a moment.

"...ah. That's... quite all right. To the contrary, my apologies for interrupting you, but I believe I have an appointment..?"

[defibrillating]

"Is it that time already?" The medic glances up at the clock on the wall, his deep purple skin flushing even darker. "Wow, I truly apologize. I lost track of time completely." That level of Angry Birds had eaten up his afternoon, apparently.

Moving over to check his calendar, he smiles a bit under the mask before signing again. "Alric, right? That's a nice name." Gesturing to the examination table, he continues. "Take a seat! Just a checkup?"

[knighterrantofthedragon]

Alric smiles to himself pensively as he approaches, and nods as he answers, playfully echoing Zian's phrasing, in a just slightly exaggeratedly dramatic tone.

"And it is, truly, forgiven without hesitation."

He had to wonder if Zian was this way with all the students, or if it stemmed from knowing who Alric was; although the remark about his name left some doubts about that, and he chuckled lightly, sitting as directed.

"Ah, yes, that's right--to both, that is. I confess, I haven't often heard my name called nice, but thank you, all the same."

[defibrillating]

Zian honestly didn't pay that much attention to anything not medical when he read the journals, so he was pretty clueless about who Alric was. He wasn't that great with European noble stuff anyway, despite being from the same continent.

"Thanks. I hope I didn't give too bad of a first impression." He signs with a slight, apologetic shrug. "...and it is a nice name, so you're welcome. I'm Zian."

The large purple mutant takes a seat on a stool next to the exam table, thus making himself a little smaller than the towering seven feet. No need to loom over sitting patients, after all.

"Let's see... when was the last time you were sick, or had a checkup?"