Who: Garrett Hawke & Ann Perkins. What: Talking healing and Elfroot. When: Backdated - during plot! Where:Grim hospital and ER. Warnings: None Status: log, closed.
Though nothing that happened here was ever predictable or, even then anything that could really be prepared for, there was still a sickening familiarity to be found mostly in the realisation that something terrible was happening, and people were going to get hurt. People always got hurt here. True, they had better resources now, they were better equipped with a whole hospital, but that didn't mean Ann wanted it to be filled with people she might not be able to help.
She was only a nurse; sure she had 10 years of skill behind her; she could patch wounds, stitch them, deliver drugs – she'd spent nights in the ER tending to some pretty horrific things but ..she didn't have the skills to help anyone seriously injured, anyone who needed a doctor, or a surgeon. She hadn't even gotten the blood bank running yet and she wouldn't doubt they'd need that.
Then again – this world wasn't normal, and even if she was (generally speaking) normal, not everyone here was entirely normal by Pawnee standards, or even human apparently, she'd been offered other solutions for helping sick or injured people. Ann had a brief conversation with Hawke about some sort of healing herb. Or root sort of thing, and if it really was true that it could be used safely no matter how new and strange it was to her, well it'd be one more thing up her sleeve to treat people with.
She'd contacted him about it, and offered to meet at the hospital, outside because Ann wanted to show him into a lest ghosty area to sit and talk. Ann stood by the entrance doors, keeping an eye out, there was a tired sort of worry about her.
It was the waiting that was truly the hard part in all of this. Hawke had been through a few kidnappings in his lifetime and the worry and frustration sat on him like an old, reliable messenger crow. He did not enjoy the feeling. His magic could do nothing and neither could his strength but at least there was elfroot. He could help the healers here in some small way. It was something though he wasn’t truly content with that.
He stood out in the city with his armor and staff strapped to his back, incredibly easy to spot in a crowd. It took him a moment to spot the healer outside the hospital, however, as he was only vaguely familiar with her. She was not one he had spent much time with, which might be a blessing in disguise. Knowing a healer well did not bode well for health in general.
“Serah Ann?” he asked as he approached her, his tone soft and curious. He could see the stress on her, poor thing, and he did his best to be less intimidating. It was difficult when he had steel, chainmail and leather on. “I am Garrett Hawke, but call me Hawke everyone does. Shall we go inside?”
Inside where she could sit and he could explain the uses of elfroot to her and they wouldn’t be out on the street with the many strange beings of the city that so bothered him. Hawke would one day get used to them but that was not today and not during a crisis. If anything, it made him more wary of the city’s inhabitants.
-----
Ann still wasn't completely used to the differences here, and it was sometimes easy to forget there were people from different worlds and times. This guy reminded her of someone she might see at those renaissance faire thing – armour and all. To Ann there was something chivalrous and romantic to it; but also a little intimidating. But she didn't really know the world he'd come from, did she?
“Hawke- sure. It's nice to properly meet you.” She smiled warmly, even though her manner seemed a little awkward and overly keen to please; or at least have an air of respect around him. “Just calling me Ann is fine.” She offered quickly in return to reassure him, not entirely sure what Serah meant, but she could assume it had something to do with their conversation about healing?
“Yeah, thanks for meeting with me.” She encouraged him to follow along with another grin “I thought it was better we meet up out here, one 'cause hospitals can be kinda a maze, especially if you've never been to one.” Ann reassured, showing him through the main reception and waiting area.
“And ..this one's kinda ghost-y, as you know.” She let out a small sigh, she'd continue in her determination to use the place and it's resources. She made sure to keep at a pace that didn't see Hawke left behind, even if she had no doubt at all he was more than capable. “We'll just head into one of the exam rooms.”
---
The hospital was unlike anything Hawke would call a hospital. It was huge and gleaming and did seem to be some sort of maze. He would have been lost within this place in moments if he didn’t have a guide like Ann. “I am not bothered by spirits. I’ve dealt with them my entire life. They won’t scare me off.”
It was admirable that she hadn’t been scared off. She was still here, after all, trying to build a place for healing. Hawke was reminded of Anders for one blinding moment. He could almost hear the man talking about his sanctum of healing. One of these days he would stop having those moments. One day.
“Did you have any questions for me?” he asked, following right at her heels. He peeked into rooms as they passed them and found like everything else about this modern city he was rather intimidated by it. Everything was so white, blank and unwelcoming. Anders’ clinic had been modest but it was welcoming. “You seemed very unsure of healing herbs when I mentioned them to you.”
He understood her hesitation. She must seem him as backwards and primitive just like everyone else around here. He hoped to reassure her. Others had come around and were quite helpful about educating him instead of mocking him. Others continued to mock him. So far, he hadn’t lit anyone on fire for it. He was proud of his restraint.
---
“Well, that’s definitely a good start, there’s plenty of those here. We should be fine though, it’s been pretty quiet here today.” Ann shrugged it off, one; because she was generally a little awkward first meeting people and she was really trying to seem casual around the guy all decked out in armour, and two; she had company who hardly seemed bothered, in fact he’d said so. She’d just have to keep an eye out for flying cleaning fluid or mops.
She nodded slowly as he encouraged her questions, whilst she lead him along, soon opening a door along the hall and encouraging him through. “Yeah, I guess because it’s just all so new to me, I’d need to learn exactly how to use the them.” Ann confessed a little sheepishly, she almost seeming apologetic. “Back home, there aren’t a lot a herbs that are used for medicine, or healing.” Instantly she could practically hear Chris’ voice ringing in her ears, enthusiastically listing the health benefits of the acai berry, or the antibacterial qualities of olive leaf extract in her head, she couldn’t help a faint smirk.
“Herbs, berries and plants- are kinda more a well-being thing, where I’m from. They can’t really heal wounds, or save lives.” She thought it only fair she explained it as best she could anyway without too much rambling - which she wasn’t entirely sure she was pulling off. “But what you’ve got can actually heal people, right?” Ann’s curiosity was plainly genuine, not at all arrogant or doubtful.
---
Hawke opened a large leather pouch on his hip and pulled out a plant of elfroot. It was a rather long plant with a twisty stem and large leaves with three points. The root would easily fit in the palm of a hand and like the steam was long and thin. He held it out to her, smiling confidently.
“This is elfroot. It grows like a weed in Thedas,” he explained. He was damned excited to see it here. It was a little piece of home, something familiar in a world full of strange sights, sounds and objects. Hawke felt a little more at home seeing it grow in his yard. “The root will be the most useful part to you. Cut it in half and spread the juice over a wound. It’ll speed healing and numb pain. You can chew on the root to heal a sore throat and indigestion. It’s a little bitter though. I’m drying some leaves at home to make some elfroot tea but as I’ve never ever made that before I will probably screw it up.”
The plant had saved his life more than once. True, it was through healing potions and not the raw root itself but he didn’t know how to make the potion. He imagined it would require lyrium, possibly blood lotus but he hadn’t seen any of those here.
“I promise you can’t kill anyone with it,” he teased slightly. It was in his nature and couldn’t help himself. “It can only heal. Right now, I’ve only got a small patch I’m cultivating. Hopefully with time I can get some Royal or Gossamer which are much stronger than normal elfroot. I know you people rely on your modern medicine but this I know we can always grow more.”
Unless the world took it away from them. Hawke didn’t say anything just in case the world decided to do just that.
--
There was admittedly a part of Ann that was dubious, but it was a very small part. People would say rubbing garlic on a wound could help heal it, but it wasn't about to close a gaping wound. However Ann was offering an open mind, and one more thing to treat the wounded with was nothing to scoff at, so the took the root with smile and looked it over slowly. “How quickly does it heal? If you were to use the juice with a bandaged wound?”
From what he could easily tell her about the roots properties, she trusted Hawke's knowledge enough to give it a try. Ann smirked in a slightly goofy way, at the quip to her earlier concerns, no doubt. “Good to know.” she accepted, in truth it was a relief how simple it sounded. “I've never been the one actually making the medicine, I was worried it'd be a little more complicated.” But it was far simpler, and just as he'd said it wasn't exactly easy to mess it up.
With a small nod, she was eager enough to agree. “And you're right. This is something we can control, and access when we need it- ...which makes it much more valuable than modern medicine that belongs to Grim.” They had so little say in how anything worked in this world, even some semblance of control and the ability to look after people on their own supplies was reassuring in a small way.
She shrugged, but she seemed uneasy again. “We can't rely on the building always being accessible, or even hospitable ” She'd been far more optimistic when she'd first seen the place and it was slowly waning, even if she was determined to make the most of it. Her smile had faded now..“And there's no telling what we'll be tending to, once we get those people back.”
Ann turned the root over in her hands again, with clearly something running around in her head.“Have you been out to that glass house a lot?” More or less it was her way of questioning what he knew of the victims so far if anyone knew anything at all, really.
--
Hawke rubbed a hand across his beard at her question. That was a question for a proper healer, not him. He knew enough to keep himself alive. “Not sure, honestly. It would depend on the wound and the person’s health in general. I’ll heal faster than an elderly person. Maybe a few days. A minor injury should just take a day.”
“It can get more complicated if we wanted to make healing potions or regeneration potions. I haven’t a clue how to make those, though, it’s better left to alchemists but those can heal mortal wounds. We’d also need lyrium, a mineral from my world, and I haven’t seen that at all.”
He doubted this world would allow such a thing to exist. This place didn’t want to give them a fighting chance. It would give them elfroot, a little help, but a potion? Never, that would be too much. Lyrium would also allow him to regain mana quicker and that would make him unstoppable. This world couldn’t allow that. No one could be too powerful.
It was really the first time someone had said his world was useful. Hawke grinned, feeling appreciated. Well, Killian appreciated him but that was entirely different. Oh, and there was Emma and teaching her magic. Alright, so she wasn’t the only one but lately he had felt useless thanks to his failure with opening the house and it magic. He needed this.
“I’ve been going back and forth between the house and here. It’s quite…” Hawke paused as he thought out the way to explain the glass house. “It’s interesting from a mage’s perspective but Maker knows what’s going on there. People have set up a good base and they’re ready for whatever happens.”
It would be nothing good. Hawke could feel that in the air around there. People were resigned to the worst, ready for death and blood. Kirkwall had felt like that towards the end. He was reminded of Darktown and the refugees, all trying to get by but accepting of their slow, miserable death from simply being poor.
“You’ll need to be ready as well,” he warned her, though she didn’t need it. “And I’ll get you all the elfroot I can but you’ll have to wait for the next crop for more than what I’ve got now.”
---
With a slow nod, Ann still looked satisfied with what he'd offered, one more thing to help them heal. She grinned back a little, still looking it over in her hands. “I might be overthinking it all a little but, I'm guessing it's better to wait to cut the roots up when you need it, rather than storing the liquid?”
Ann let out a long sigh, there was turning around that situation where all people were forced to do, was wait. “Hopefully, between all of us we can manage whatever happens with the house.” Ann did, in fact sound hopeful, a little hopeful. They had to be; of course there was no telling when, or if people would get out of there at all, let alone get out alive. “It's pretty amazing how quickly everyone's just come together- everyone wants to do something, if they can.” She flashed a slightly forced smile. “It'd just be nicer if the whole community was coming together for ..something that wasn’t threatening lives.” She finished a little flatly, and then felt suddenly felt a little aware of the fact she might just be rambling a little too much about the whole situation.
“This whole, regular chaos thing isn’t exactly what I’m used to- at least not the sort that has dinosaurs.” There was a stutter of a humourless laugh from Ann. “Even if it's haunted we've definitely improved in the level of medical care we can provide.” She nodded slowly briefly looking to Hawke, voicing this might be as much for her own benefit as Hawke's, trying more or less boost her own morale. “We'll be ready as we can for when we get them back.” She sounded almost certain, before indicating the root he'd given her. “-And I appreciate that you're sharing what you've got.” She added, honestly, warmth in her tone. “Like I said, it's encouraging how quickly everyone's coming together.” She didn't think she could completely judge someone, if they were inclined to keep a stash of something healing to themselves, when so many dangerous lurked here.
--
He nodded at her question. “The juice loses its potency the longer it is out of the root. You can slow the process with cold but considering how well it grows you might as well just leave the elfroot in the ground and use it fresh.”
She reminded him of Merrill, eager to help and rambling on about everything. Of course, she wasn’t a mage and didn’t practice blood magic but still, it brought back fond memories listening to her ramble on and on. He was charmed, just as he had been with Merrill. Even better they wouldn’t run into uncomfortable fighting over blood magic and demons. She was simply a healer and adorable as a kitten.
“Sadly, nothing brings people together like the threat of imminent pain and death,” he said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. The sudden rallying of the town didn’t surprise him at all. At least these people were more useful than the nobles of Kirkwall who panicked like startled birds the moment something went wrong. They were trying to help. That was better than the response in his world. “You’ll get used to it.”
The words were partly a warning and he knew the feeling well. For him, this was all familiar. A world out to kill him was nothing new, neither were spirits and demons and death. He could deal with those in his sleep. In the case of demons, he did. It was a shame that this place would crush the spirits of people like Ann. Or maybe she’d be strong like Merrill who stubbornly forged her own path even after the death of her clan and yet still loved to talk to butterflies and rabbits out in the mountains.
“It grows like a weed,” he said with a shrug. “I could keep some for myself and provide the town no problem. Besides, nothing says your people will trust my herbs. They all seem to think I’m a bit odd and backwards.”
Not to mention a barbarian. Hawke didn’t mind. He’d been seen as such in Kirkwall too. He was a Dog Lord and proud. --
Ann nodded slowly as she took that in, he was right, it was true most of the time. Sometimes it took tragedy for people to notice there were others around, or that they might need help. “I’ve been lucky to have a decent group of people around me back home, Leslie kept us all together- and we'd do anything for her.” Ann hastened to add, in case he wondered. “You've probably seen her on the network more than once.” At once she smirked fondly, Leslie certainly was as presence around here, and always a positive one, as often as she could be. “She's got a real sense of community through good and bad. I’d never really had that until I met her-” Ann sort of stopped herself there, it was hard not to ramble when they were somewhere quiet without all the chaos, and for now undisturbed by ghosts.
“We’re all away from our friends and family- I guess that makes a difference too, people are less likely to keep to their own, when they’re not there.” Ann shrugged a little, she knew really even when all the others from Pawnee had been here Leslie did things to benefit the town, on a whole. But Ann wasn’t about to spend the entire time babbling away about herself, or her home.
As he mentioned, almost in passing it seemed that people thought him backward, Ann’s brows furrowed in a slight distaste. “Really? I’m sorry to hear it, I can’t see why-” Her honesty was clear, as usual as she looked to him. “I'll make sure anyone I use the elf-root on knows where it came from, you've been nothing but helpful.” That’s what mattered more, he was trying to help people she imagined he barely knew, Ann barely knew everyone here and she’d been here months.
“Where are you from, exactly? If you don’t mind me asking about it?” She wasn’t entirely sure if he was something he’d be asked too often, or not often enough, but she supposed if people were treating him oddly, perhaps they weren’t bothering to get to know him at all. From his dress, she’d assume something medieval or middle ages- maybe that’s why people treated him that way? She didn’t really think that justified anything.