video | c.fraser

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Behind Claire is a fairly unassuming background. An empty wall, and a cabinet with an assortment of herbs, bottles, and jars to be put in their proper place. She takes a breath before clapping her hands together.]

Well. Seems like I chose a wonderful time to open my own clinic.

[With all this summoning business.]

As some of you might remember, the Sanctuary made it very clear during the riots some months back that it can't always be relied on. [The smile here is thin. Very thin.] I never felt comfortable setting foot in that place after being turned away at the doors when people were in need. So, I've opened my own, near the market district here in Olympia. It's nothing grand, or... much at all, yet, but in time I hope it will be a place people are comfortable coming with medical concerns, be it treatment or a desire to learn a few things as I was once teaching with Dr. John Watson.

Seeing that he's returned to stasis, I'd be happy to see anyone that was under his care.

[And she probably shouldn't laugh, but... it's better than dwelling on the fear of the recent news.]

Hopefully my new endeavor isn't destroyed by a dragon anytime in the near future.

Comments

[cassus]

The pleasure's all mine, Dr. Fraser. And- Always.

[ It's a guess, but whether or not he's right matters little compared to wanting to offer the respect she deserves, if his assumption is correct. 'Madam Healer' was another consideration. However that title ignores all the blood, sweat and tears poured into revolving one's life around saving lives by being elbow-deep in carnage as opposed to relying solely on herbal or spiritual healing. That's one thing he'll always give Yosano-sensei credit for, and far be it from him to deny another hard working woman her rightful title.

The smile he succumbs to is no lie, nor is his answer. Dazai has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. This includes trades like medicine, which are extremely relevant to his past and useful here, as well as things like gardening for the sake of sharing a friend's hobby. That rapt fascination with learning surely stems from a strange combination of a mind constantly working while 'over-clocked' and the antsy restlessness born of any moment when it's not challenged.

But whatever the cause, he's an eager student who is willing to absorb what's handed his way and apply it in turn. There would be no skirting lessons or taking information for granted on his part. ]

I'd consider myself lucky to learn a thing or two. The more difficult the lesson, the better.

[ Salves and ointments are nice, and he hopes to touch on those with Linneus. But what they all really need to learn is the more nitty-gritty stuff, like keeping people alive when a body is intent on dying. ]

And I'm not squeamish, so there's no need to go easy on me.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She's quick to offer him an out:] Just Claire is fine, unless you must insist.

[Titles have never been that important to her. Manners, yes, but here she feels it might be a bit excessive.]

Famous last words. [She's teasing. Mostly.] We can start with anatomy, then.

[cassus]

As a matter of fact, I happen to like Claire so much better. Rolls right off the tongue.

[ Is it bad form to harmlessly flirt with your teacher before they officially take on the role, or only after? ]

It's nice to know we'll start with a subject I have experience with.

[ Spending one's formative years in the Japanese mafia doesn't permit one to be a slouch, slow-learner or squeamish. So she'll have to do her darnest to prove him wrong! ]

We'll be practicing with diagrams or living subjects and leaving the scalpels behind, correct?

Since I imagine you're fresh out of medical cadavers.

[ He hopes it's nothing quite so rudimentary, but besides that- Now who's teasing whom? ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She knows what this is. Claire lifts a brow, letting him know she knows. She could probably be his mother.

Then again, thanks to timeline shenanigans, she could be her husband's mother, too.]

The VR rooms in the station are helpful when they actually work, but diagrams and the like otherwise, yes. I don't know if my patients would be comfortable with corpses in the same building.

[cassus]

[ The jig is absolutely up, but Dazai isn't the least bit flustered that he's been caught, and instead offers a polite but slightly roguish smile in return. Some people have the good taste and sense to appreciate a woman with wisdom and maturity, and there's nothing wrong with respectfully admiring that from afar. ]

Most tend not to be. Those who are probably need a different sort of medical care.

[ Says someone who has seen more than his fair share of bodies. Then again, although he's accustomed to death that doesn't mean he believes himself to be unharmed by it. If anything the reverse is true, though he's sure to not be the only one who's suffered the loss of loved ones in the past. ]

Works for me! Diagrams are a lot less messy, and make for easier study material at home than a whole body~.

[ Hopefully he can pick her brain for battle appropriate skills during the more elementary lessons. ]

What did you specialize in, back home? [ Her answer will let him know how much and what fields he stands to learn best from Claire. ] If you don't mind me asking.

[nineteenfortyfive]

Quite. One day, if I have enough... well, students, I suppose, I might inquire at the morgue and see what I can arrange.

[Though she's not exactly eager to set that up. There's always been a university to handle that for her, before.]

I'm a surgeon. So, top from bottom, I can teach you whatever you're curious about.

[cassus]

If possible, I'm sure everyone here could at least use a lesson in first aid.

[ This world may be a reprieve from the void left after the Storm, however Nysa itself is anything but hospitable. Between the untamed magics set loose on this planet, it's wild beasts and the rivalry between both cities, people are bound to continuously need patching up. Or more. ]

I can always ask around if your generosity is bountiful enough to want more of us.

[ Dazai gives a chuckle, offering her the option of taking it as a joke. Because providing medical care to a slew of new patients is a big enough job as it is, but playing teacher to more than a scattered few pupils is a lot to ask of the woman. ]

Well, if you enjoy a challenge- How about combat casualty care? [ He gestures, searching for a quick description. ] You know, on the field medical care.

[ That sure is a mouthful, and a lot to ask, but it's the most practical option from his perspective. If there is a war, or even the small-scale skirmishes the cities have dealt with so far, a lot of people are going to need medical care without the ability to receive it in a timely manner.

Yes, Dazai has specific people in mind and a wholly selfish agenda behind his seemingly altruistic motivations. But that doesn't mean he'd forgo helping anyone with the skills Claire might impart upon him, once they're learned. ]

This world has plenty of soldiers, but surely not enough medics.

[nineteenfortyfive]

I held lessons, once, but that was a long time ago. [And before a trip to stasis that aged her 20 years. She was younger and more ambitious, then. But now she has much more patience.] I wouldn't mind it, though.

I did learn much of what I know on the war front. I was a combat nurse for many years before becoming proper surgeon.

[She was a surgeon long before she had the title.]

[cassus]

Who could ever ask for a more qualified teacher than that?

[ Not quite flirting, but at least flattering. ]

And you're a tougher soul than you let on, at first glance.

[ All that bloodshed and first-hand experience of life and death is not something anyone with a weak constitution or heart could handle. ]

But now you've got me ready to beg on bended knee to be your student, Claire.

[ The lit in his voice should let on just how much he's playfully teasing about the begging, even if he's sincere about being all the more interested. ]

Where else will someone get to learn about medical care under a battle-wise surgeon in a world where we'll certainly be putting those skills to use, sooner than later?

[nineteenfortyfive]

Please, the flattery isn't needed. [Might as well nip that in the bud right now.] I'm old enough to be your mother.

[Or headmistress, but she knows some people are into that.]

[cassus]

Ah, you very well might be.

[ Godspeed, Claire. It'll take more than that to deter Dazai when he's admiring someone for their good qualities. Some traits he simply doesn't possess and may never have, such as the selflessness that's required to care for those in need with such conviction that it becomes a whole life's work. ]

In the world you came from- Is it all that uncouth to flatter a woman with experience and wisdom...

[ Chin palmed in interest, Dazai give his head a sort of curious tilt that does wonders to accentuate his roguish smile. ]

Simply because she earned it from a life well lived?

[nineteenfortyfive]

It's just a personal preference. There are better things to discuss and say, and I've a husband if I'm in the mood for flattery.

[There's a small smile at that.]

Why don't you tell me about yourself? Where you're from, things like that.