deercountry | [closed] don't call him dr. L

Entry tags:

nehan: ray

[closed] don't call him dr. L

Who: Nehan and his students.
What: It's about time to start being a teacher, which means meeting up with them one by one and conducting their first lessons-- sparring for some, medic training for others. May not be completely nice and productive, due to blood type shenanigans. Thanks, December.
When: Early to mid-December.
Where: Nehan's house for medical studies, and some fields away from people for combat training.

Content Warnings: Physical violence, little bit of beasthood, potential potty mouths, potential squicky conversations, Nehan's personal issues with his disabilities. More TBA when they come up.

[[ starters in the comments below. if you'd like to get in on this but we haven't plotted it out, feel free to shoot me a pp at

wildtrapinch and we can talk! ]]

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First lesson. [nehan places his palms on the table between them, fingers splayed apart. in his living room, for the benefit of his students in medicine, nehan had dragged a rectangular table to the middle of it, and placed two chairs on opposite sides. it used to be a dining table for a handful of people, but he's now using it for lessons. on his side, he has a few journals full of notes he'd taken at the library of the school of murmur, and elsewhere, and some books from other places.

but whether or not they make use of such books and notes depends on how this session goes. nehan knows this.]

You're a warrior-- how much do you know about the body? For your purposes, the human body.

There are no wrong answers. I just want to know what you've inferred from your experiences with fighting people or alongside them.

[going straight into it? going straight into it.]

[nehan has no opinion of this person, simply because they've never met in person yet. but, as is his default, he's neither nervous nor excited-- he's apathetic. he'll form his own opinions and feelings later, when they start in earnest.

he taps a finger on the table between them, black nail making a rapping sound to catch his student's full attention. around them, his wolf omen patrols the house, around the small dining table that nehan has sat himself at with a single chair across from him for his student, and then to the front and back doors to make sure they're locked, before crawling into the daybed in the corner of the living room to nap.]

Sit down and we can begin. [meaning, now.]

What is your experience with medicine? Have you ever administered first aid? I don't care if you have never done any work and have just been the patient all your life. I need to know your impressions of it. [and if some things, like wrong information, need to be corrected.]

[leaning heavily against his crutch with a thick fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders, nehan looks small-- smaller than he usually is, and he's already a small man. his wolf omen sits beside him, as alert as its master and wearing a harness with nehan's weapons and potion vials.]

You can set your weapon aside-- you wont need it. I want to see how you use your body without it. [then nehan straightens up, undoing the straps of his crutch and resting it on his wolf. then he reveals that he's wearing less layers than the last time they met as he removes his cloak, rolling it up into a wad and putting it on top of the wolf as well-- a backless, sleeveless shirt, and soft pants, not at all suitable for the cold weather, but good for moving quickly and fluidly.

this also shows that he has a new addition-- a tail the same color as his hair and ears. in turn, his hair and fur are thicker and just as scraggly as his tail.]

Today, we will be sparring, and you should hold out for as long as you can. [nehan pulls one tiny vial from his omen's harness, a purple liquid that he downs in one go. just the one small dose, much smaller than the other vials filled with the same sort of potion. a pick-me-up because nehan needs it.]

What have you learned since the last time we met?

[nehan's stance, despite not moving, is aggressive. it's not the same as the fighting stance he showed to diluc before-- his feet are apart and his arms are crossed, both hands tucked under them, but he holds his head up as if he's looking down at someone shorter despite his small stature. he looks like he's ready to uncoil and strike at any moment. even the clothing he's chosen to wear today sell the image, a fur cloak draped over his shoulders that is easily tossed off, and a high-collared, sleeveless, backless jacket that will let the erune move. nevermind that he's still too thin for someone who is neither dead nor a blood-crazed zealot. or sporting a tail that he didn't have before.

but the fact that he's chosen to stand without his crutch, which has been propped up against his omen splayed out on the ground, is a statement in and of itself.]

No, don't tell me. As I said, use your fists to talk. [it doesn't matter if the likelihood of nehan getting crushed in this session is now higher-- he'd be glad for it, even. it would mean that he truly is weak, and not more powerful than an actual warrior. he wants all to be right with the world, and that involves being the weakest person in the room, because he has trouble perceiving a world where this isn't true.]

Trust Nehan to be able to find something to sit on even out in the wilds-- this time, a boulder that he perches himself on so he can give his leg a rest. But he's still ready to take on another training session with another student this month (this week, really), and when he spots the human coming to him, he climbs off of it and waves him over.

"Here, Ryunosuke. Come here." Hopefully the human wont mind when Nehan gives him a good look from head to toe, just to make sure he's holding himself right, and he doesn't look to be in pain. Then he makes a circuit around Ryunosuke while tapping one black nail on his chin, his tail-- his new, grey-furred tail that he doesn't have any control over-- raised up during his inspection.

"Are you well-rested? Haven't missed any meal lately?" This is important, really. How can they have a productive training session if someone is flagging? "This is going to be strenuous, I want you in top form."

Even if Nehan himself is running on coffee and a few hours' sleep. But he always looks tired, it's fine. Even when he has bruises on his face and arms, it's fine.

[Richie sits, slouching as he does so, a notebook open on the table. For someone who likes to play his intelligence down a notch, Richie's actually an attentive person, and his eyes are on Nehan as he speaks.]

My friend Eddie Kaspbrak's better at this than me. [His breath catches after this statement.] Was. Was better.

[The grief is choking, but Richie moves on quickly, because there's more important things at stake here than his heart.]

We used to run a clinic together. You've heard of Turtle Cove? That's his. Mostly I got him supplies and equipment, I wasn't the one with his hands on or in the patients. I know a little bit of first aid, and back in Derry I reset somebody's broken arm, but—that's pretty much it. [A pause, then, after a moment to steel himself:] And since he's gone, I'm the only person left running the clinic. And I don't wanna be the dumbass in charge of a clinic when he doesn't know what he's fucking doing.

I see. [sentiment, is it? nehan is not surprised, when a lot of people become medics for that very reason.]

And from what you've just told me, you didn't use magic.

[perhaps he has no talent for it. perhaps he never used magic before, and he doesn't know how to deal with his new blood type. whatever the true reason, this still means nehan can teach him in the ways he learned-- except without the doom and gloom, and the threat of death hanging over his head.

his ears turn forward, paying attention to the human before him now that his omen has settled.]

So, we'll have to start from the beginning. That wont be easy.

Nope. The powers I’ve got are fucking useless for it.

[Which is why he’s willing to learn the hard way. If he’s running the clinic now, then he has to actually know what he’s doing. He can’t heal worth shit, so knowledge is the next best thing.]

Well, shit, [he says, in a Southern drawl with a little upward twitch of his mouth] and here I was thinkin’ I’d just coast right past on charm and pluck and a bit o’ book-readin’ alone. [Judging from the Voice, he doesn’t actually think that. Now he drops the drawl, sounding more serious:] Okay, fine. Where do we start?

Edited 2021-12-05 15:40 (UTC)

[He slides easily into the stance Nehan showed him in their first session. He's been practicing every day no matter how he feels. Or what work he has that day. This is to become stronger. He is utterly devoted to being stronger for the sake of others. The moment Nehan is done speaking Diluc is moving, weaving the cold magic through his body to reinforce his body as he rapidly closes the distance between them.

Here he doesn't have to hold back. He can let himself go. So, he does. This time he doesn't hold back when he aims to deal several punishing strikes to Nehan. But he isn't going to just take hits this session. He can and will try to counter and dodge. Not always successfully, but he's clearly been practicing against someone.

He's dressed to allow himself a full range of movement without costing himself cover against the weather. His long hair is pulled up out of his way, exposing patches of black dragon scales on his neck and arms. His pupils don't look quite right either, almost an oval shape. The cold magic running under his skin is at odds to the faint simmer of heat in the air around him.

Holding the two like this took so much practice and he will be taxed to his limits by this spar. No matter the outcome.]

Edited 2021-12-05 18:18 (UTC)

The basics.

Namely, the body. [he flips through a notepad of his, and shows him a page of a sketch of a person's circulatory system. one he made himself and he's no artist, but he knows how to outline someone's body by now.

and, as standard for doctors, his handwriting is nigh unreadable. but then again, everything is written in his personal shorthand.]

For your purposes, the human body. We have non-human Sleepers, myself included, but my anatomy is similar to a human's anyway.

[oh? a human trying to imitate the erune's stance? the karm clan's stance no less? it would have been good, but without more advanced training for proper karm stances, nehan anticipates diluc to still flail with haymakers.

the erune ducks down, allowing his troublesome leg to fall underneath him to cushion the blow as he flattens himself onto the ground to let diluc pass him by. then he pushes himself back up, aiming a slap on the human's back, barking an order.

almost literally barking.]

Fists up! Until you know how to follow up, fists up like a beginner, not arms loose like a master!

[His eyes flash with fire like a true dragon. Smoke curls up from the corners of his mouth but he forces himself to breathe and obey.

He moves with the hit. When he had faced Nehan the first time he hadn’t had the benefits of watching him fight. Or the benefits of sparring with Kaeya hand to hand. He is still novice in the ways of the fist but he refuses to strike blindly.

He spins to face Nehan with his fists up as he was told to do. He moves forward, aiming to strike out but not without purpose. Nehan keeps relying on a side that won’t feel pain. He thinks about that as he seeks to find an advantage to press. All the while the heat flows around him but he himself feels more solid when hit and bitterly cold to the touch.]

[ Flynn has not been in school of any sort for a long time. Of course, school was a nebulous thing when he was growing up—his mother and a group of children, a foraged chalkboard, chipped and stained, and rocks they'd fished from the river for slates. Still he and Yuri had to share one as they determinedly worked out how to read.

Flynn is a better physical learner than anything else, but he listens intently all the same, watching Nehan from his own seat, where he sits rigid like any good knight. Daisy is with him today, a horse currently making herself the size of a dog, settled quietly beside him.

Flynn bows his head as he thinks. A good question. ]

Basic anatomy. I've dressed field wounds many times, my own and those of others. I know... where blood flows fastest, what should be put under a tourniquet, what can be healed with a gel and what with magic, though I suppose that first bit of knowledge is less useful until Yuri can manage a steady supply of gels for the town. Ah, those are healing gummies, eaten or applied to wounds.

[ He has to think for a moment, his hand making idle circles on the tabletop in front of him. ]

I know some wounds take longer to kill than others, and that one should not let anything get infected. Regular cleaning of battle wounds is important.

The extensive experience of someone who has seen combat, eh? [of course they would know where to strike best, but then again, not to the same level as the karm clan's poisoners. like nehan's family.] Still, you learned as you went, without getting your foundations from a teacher.

We start from the very beginning. We'll review your ability to give first aid, then move on to furthering your anatomical knowledge.

[then he leans over and starts to dig around his shoulder bag for something. then he manages to pull out a strip of garter and holds it out to flynn.

yes, they're starting immediately.]

Here, try to tie it like a tourniquet around my arm. [nehan is already beginning to pull his left arm from his cardigan sleeve, slowly revealing that his clothing is in fact sleeveless, outside of his outerwear.

his left arm is thin, and extensively scarred. and while nehan's right hand is bare, he keeps his left hand gloved. for reasons.]

[nehan aims a punch right at diluc's chest, at his raised arms, to check if his guard is actually solid. and, as always, his blow is made heavy with the amount of light magic coursing through nehan's body, and the way his knuckle is slightly yellow from the element just underneath the erune's skin.

a testing blow, but it will still hurt no matter how it lands.]

[ Flynn offers something like a sheepish smile at that, nodding. He has no formal training except in healing magic, and even that was more out of his own insistence. It's still unusual for a knight to have healing artes at their disposal. Flynn never could resist helping.

So, the beginning it is, even if that beginning is... tying a tourniquet on an uninjured man who he's really just met.

Flynn accepts the garter without hesitation—a silent understood on his lips, even if he doesn't say it aloud—and watches Nehan tug his arm free, wondering at the scars. He looks like every older knight Flynn ever saw, like Captain Schwann but thinner.

It is rude, though, to ask, and he's been given a task, so after a moment he pulls his eyes away and leans across the table. ]

Pardon me.

[ A quiet murmur, largely out of politeness, as he reaches for that scarred arm and pulls it forward to tie a... fairly passable tourniquet.

It's a soldier's tourniquet, to be sure, tied as tightly as Flynn dares on an uninjured arm. There is no finesse here, but there is practice behind his movements, and he looks up when he's finished, wondering. ]

Were you actually hurt, I would find a stick, twist it into the bandage and then tie another lower down to truly stop the bleeding. Is... that right?

Yes. As a medic, you would be carrying your own stick as well. But what goes into your personal first aid kit is a lesson for another time.

[now nehan makes a fist with his left arm. slowly, not because of the band around it, but because he cant actually feel it today, and thus has trouble moving it the way he wants to move it. this is why he offered his left rather than his right-- if flynn made a mistake and severely injured him, he wouldn't be without a fully-functioning arm.

but he can tell from the look of his arm that it's serviceable.]

Seems good enough. But ideally for instance, you shouldn't have to resort to a tourniquet if you know what to do.

This is for people who don't know how to use medicine and must wait for someone who does, and you came to me to teach you how to me a field medic. [nehan taps the garter, before beginning to undo it.] You are going to be the one being waited on.

Hey, is it a requirement for every doctor to have chickenshit handwriting? [Honest question here, just phrased deliberately in the most annoying way possible. But for once Richie's being nice and not trying to needle the guy too much, taking notes in his notebook and sketching out a copy of that outline for himself.]

This is the, [hold on while he racks his memory for the term,] cardiovascular system, right? The bit with the lungs and the heart and all the blood? [He pauses.] You think any of it changes when our blood changes in this world or is it just the same as it ever was?

[he is very, very fortunate that nehan has decided to ignore the needling, not even making any reaction to it. he simply continues like it never even happened.]

It's the same as before, it's just that our blood is no longer red the moment it leaves our bodies.

Do you know how to draw the different types of blood?

[He could have soaked the hit. But he is unlearning some behaviors he developed recently. Diluc blocks the strike. It hurts. But his guard is solid and strong. And there is Cryo energy singing in his veins as he concentrates the magic to fortify his body. His skin is slightly blue from the threads of magic just under the skin.

He has a feeling that Nehan is testing his guard. So he lets it happen. This isn’t about pride or just letting go. He has to get stronger.]

[nehan notes the blue just lingering underneath diluc's skin, and knows immediately that he's using his ice-- defensively? seems like it. he's not going to criticize if this is how diluc prefers to use his abilities, or if this is the most comfortable for him.

which means nehan now has to test how well he can wield both elements.]

Give me both elements this time. Don't drop either of them, or I will turn you into a squid. [he's bluffing. but he'll work as if he's not.

he dips, using his smaller stature to his advantage, and aims a strike just below diluc's belt at his thigh.]

[He has spent months working on unifying the powers of Pyro and Cryo. Daily training has made it easy to pull the heat about him like a shroud. No flames.

He wouldn’t burn his teacher. And he’s just in time to dodge the strike and give a punishing counter strike. The heat of his fire magic proceeding it. But his skin still has that blue tone to it. It’s not something he can keep up forever.

The strain is not yet familiar. He follows up on his counter strike whether it lands or not, aiming to wear him down. He is larger but he isn’t slow.]

[he sees that move coming, and makes to dodge and deliver his own counter, but nehan stumbles momentarily, unused to his tail. he dodges, certainly, because of the stumble that makes him reel backwards out of the range of that blow... but he cant counter. it makes him miss his opportunity to counter, and he growls in annoyance, ears pulling back. he dislikes that new limb because it's sudden, and he has no idea how to move with it.

the more intelligent move would have been to reschedule this spar, but he cant leave diluc hanging for too long or the idiot will become a squid again.

nehan shakes himself from ears to tail and lunges again, aiming this time for diluc's face-- or so he acts like he will. but it's a feint, and he's ready to dodge a counterattack and strike where the human least expects it.]

[At that, he shakes his head.]

No, that was Eddie's job. [For a moment he looks down and hunches in on himself, grief weighing him down before he rallies.] Why, any special procedures I should know about? He kept some in special containers, if I'm remembering right.

...ah. Of course.

[ It's not exactly Flynn is afraid of that responsibility. He has shouldered heavier, and with less support. He's made himself into someone to be counted on, someone who will show up to help. This is just an extension of that, isn't it? Another way, perhaps a more needed way in this city bent on injuring them, to live those values.

Still. There's weight in those words, and Flynn can't help feel it settle over him. He's taking on a new responsibility, and he wants to honor that. He watches Nehan's fingers as he picks apart the knot. ]

So then, say someone was on the battlefield, rapidly losing blood from a wound. What would be my first move, were I trained? Before the tourniquet?

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[closed] don't call him dr. L

@ flynn

@ richie

@ kaeya

@ diluc

@ ryunosuke

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