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The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-06-2019
Phoebe did not expect anything amiss as she went about her day. She had spent most of it finishing stocking the College and infirmary. But now she was home, doing a little bit of prep for the clinic. She wasn't staying there clearly, but she would rather it be secure than not. Who knew what the monsters might do if they ran amok in her clinic? Pim even did his part, by staying out of the way. It might not seem like much but a dragon his size was quite the tripping hazard when underfoot.
With the clinic cleaned and locked up for the most part - that which she could lock up before actually leaving for the College for LongNight - she set to prepping some last minute herbal remedies. Tonics, poultices, teas - anything that could assuage people's fears and hurts during the long week of darkness and monsters. Pim was the first to notice someone approaching, lifting his head from where he lay on the couch to peer out a window. Phoebe glanced over just as a knock on the door sounded, alerted by her companion. [say]"Come in!"[/say] she called, expecting it to be a friend or a patient.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-07-2019
As Loren had walked away from Roana’s house, he’d heard the shatter of broken glass. However, Deimos hadn’t called for assistance, so the summoner had to assume that the general had everything under control. That didn’t mean that the Launceleyn’s heart didn’t sink; it seemed Roana had chosen to flee rather than face judgment. And the general would catch her, the summoner had no doubt of that. Now there’d be no mercy for the ex-captain.
[say]”Come on boys.”[/say] Although the Launceleyn didn’t know if the children had heard the sounds, Loren didn’t want to take that chance. So he walked with them all the way to Phoebe’s house. Once they arrived, the summoner knocked on the door. At the healer’s voice, he tensed, knowing this was going to be ugly. However, it had to be done. So he opened the door, and gestured that the boys should head inside. While the Launceleyn needed to speak to Phoebe, he wanted to let them have one moment as a family before Loren brought it all crashing down.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-07-2019
Seeing the boys running in had been unexpected. [say]"Well hello there!"[/say] Phoebe said brightly, kneeling down to hug the boys as they raced to her. "Auntie momma has work so we have to stay. Will Ludo still find their presents here?" Rhett said worriedly, holding up the puzzle box. Phoebe blinked but smiled after a moment, ruffling his blonde hair. [say]"Well of course they will! Ludo is very clever and will surely know where to find their presents. We can put it on the windowsill in the kitchen."[/say] she said warmly, kissing his head.
The midwife glanced up at Loren, her expression dropping briefly. But she brought it back up for the sake of her nephews. [say]"Why don't you go do that right now in fact?"[/say] she send, sending them to the back as she straightened. Once they were gone she looked back at Loren. [say]"What is this all about?"[/say] she said, brows furrowing. Pim was on guard seeing Loren again, growling lowly at the summoner.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-07-2019
There was no way to make this easier to hear, or at least not one Loren could think of. Not here, not given how his last encounter with Phoebe had gone. Still, though his voice wasn’t kind, it wasn’t as cruel as when he’d been lashing out at her. Moreover, he lowered his voice so that only the healer and none of the children could hear him. [say]”Roana threatened to kill all the Ascended. We went to arrest her, and bring her children to you. I don’t know for certain, because I was leaving with the boys at this point, but it sounds as if she resisted arrest and tried to flee.”[/say] Hopefully the summoner didn’t have to explain what that meant to Phoebe: one way or another, the boys were not getting their mother back. There was more he needed to say, but it was best to let Phoebe process all that first.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-07-2019
Phoebe's eyes widened and she gasped, a hand quickly rising to cover her mouth. [say]"For Frey's sake..."[/say] she muttered breathlessly. Shock didn't begin to cover it. Roana threatening to kill innocent people? She might not get along with her sister-in-law very well but that just didn't sound right. [say]"That doesn't sound like her at all. You're...you're certain it was her? What proof is there?"[/say] she said, brows furrowed with concern not anger. And then to resist arrest? She shook her head lightly, gaze becoming a bit distant, as if she was staring passed Loren, not at him.
Something wasn't right. But there were more immediate concerns.
Phoebe closed her eyes, taking a settling breath in through her nose. [say]"Those boys have already lost so much."[/say] she said quietly, head shaking slowly. It took her a moment, recovering from the shock of what was suddenly her reality. But when it passed, she straightened, eyes opening to look at the summoner with a steady gaze. [say]"Thank you for bringing them to me. At least they will have someone they know to care for them while this sorts itself out."[/say] However it was that it sorted itself out.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-07-2019
Though Loren didn’t necessarily have proof of his own, he seriously doubted Wessex made this up. Even if it had just been Wessex’s word, the summoner knew better than to bring up the queen in front of the healer. Luckily, he had some context clues, and he was intelligent enough to put two and two together. [say]”I believe Remi was the one who first raised the concern. But she didn’t deny the accusation or charges.”[/say] The alchemist’s description on the Notice Board of the woman who’d assaulted a citizen fit Roana, both because it was her physical description and because the Launceleyn couldn’t think of anyone else it could be. In addition, the other man hadn’t sounded surprised when Loren brought up the arrest, which confirmed his suspicions.
However, that wasn’t the most important thing for Phoebe to worry about right now. [say]”Phoebe. Listen to me. Wessex doesn’t trust you to keep the boys quiet and behaved at the Temple during LongNight, especially given your relationship with Roana. The queen tasked me with convincing you of the importance of that.”[/say] They both knew both that the healer wouldn’t listen to anything the Launceleyn had to say, but he had to try. [say]”If you cannot demonstrate to her that you’ll keep the boys in line, she has threatened to place them in the Guild for LongNight.”[/say] Despite what the healer might feel about the Launceleyn, he was just giving her the honest truth, again. Still, he braced himself for an explosion.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-07-2019
Phoebe was having an incredibly difficult time reconciling what Loren was saying about Roana with the Roana she knew. But before she could get her mind wrapped around it, he continued, and his words made her blood run cold. Her eyes narrowed at him as she stilled, the fire and fury he had wished to see last time suddenly apparent in her honeyed gaze. [say]”Excuse me?”[/say] she said in a low tone, the level of offense she took clear in her voice. To say Wessex didn’t trust her – fine. To say she wasn’t trusted with children – her, a midwife, expert in all things small, chubby, and wobbly on their feet – especially those that she had a claim to was not fine.
[say]”I was witness to and survived a LongNight massacre. I ran from said massacre through the Outskirts to the Rathskeller with an unconscious, gutted man and two toddlers, and they all survived. Tell me who exactly is more capable to keeping watch over these boys during LongNight than me?”[/say] she snapped, stepping forward into his personal space unless he stepped away. Even Pim growled at the notion – his human was a hatchlingless mother, little ones were her everything. [say]”You can tell the Queen that the only way she is getting my nephews who’ve already lost both their mother and father is over my dead body.”[/say] she said lowly, but with earnest conviction. This wasn’t dramatics, this was the mother bear in Phoebe showing itself.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-07-2019
Well, Phoebe reacted predictably. While she went off on her rather epic rant about how she was best suited to this task—it was really rather well done, if a bit overly dramatic—Loren just stayed silent. Although he expected that she might respond in this manner, that didn’t mean he was the best person to unload it on. In fact, in this case, he was on the healer’s side. When she was finally finished, he spoke
His voice came out low, and if not soothing, at least neutral. [say]”I don’t think anyone is better suited to this task. A fact I told Wessex, in addition to telling her I think ripping children from their families for expediency’s sake is a terrible precedent and a harmful act. However, I’m not sure that making that declaration is going to move Wessex. I’ll pass it along if you really want, however.”[/say] It was just a fact: the queen probably wasn’t going to care about Phoebe’s feelings on the matter unless the healer could indeed demonstrate the Ascended would have no additional problems during LongNight.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-07-2019
”I don’t think anyone is better suited to this task.”
Well…she hadn’t exactly expected that. It took her off-guard, which was evidenced in her gaze. Her knee-jerk rage was suddenly pulled into check, understanding that it was being let loose on the wrong individual. Still, she stood in his space, lips pursed and considering. [say]”Why would you defend my side to her?”[/say] she said a bit warily. As calming as his unexpected statement was, she didn’t drop her guard entirely. Phoebe didn’t want to be bitten again so quickly.
[say]”I’m not exactly certain how I am supposed to prove my ability.”[/say] she said, fists clenching at her side. [say]”These are my nephews and caring for children has been part of my specialty for over a decade. What more could she possibly want if not over-the-top declarations pointing out her idiocy?”[/say] she said shortly, her anger still there but now being directed where it ought – around him but not at him. She turned quickly and walked over to a side table, pouring a cup of tea as if on reflex. She didn’t really want tea, but the familiar action was calming.
[say]”Pim, go distract the boys, would you?”[/say] she said, staring down at the liquid in her cup. Pim glanced between the two warily, not really wanting to leave Phoebe with Loren. But he gave the man a warning growl, sparks bouncing around his barred fangs, before dutifully plodding off to the back of the house to keep the boys distracted. [say]”Is she planning to execute Roana?”[/say] she asked softly.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-07-2019
[say]”Because I think ripping children away from someone who will love and care for them and who they love and care for in turn is harmful. There are situations where it is necessary”[/say]—like with Roana, obviously—[say]"but in this case, not letting the boys stay with you is just cruel, with no upside that I can see. And I think we should always do what is best for the children.”[/say] That much, at least they could agree on, though Loren figured Phoebe had no reason to believe him. Still, he was telling the truth.
As for how to convince Wessex that this was the wrong course of action, well, the Launceleyn was probably no better positioned than the healer to do that. He’d made his best case, and the queen had rejected it. Maybe Phoebe would have better luck. Likely not, considering everything between the two women. [say]”I don’t know. I’m not her favorite person at the moment, and I've never been able to change her mind about anything. However, she specifically mentioned how dangerous it would be if the children misbehaved or made noise and brought the monsters down on everyone else.”[/say] Hesitating, he gave the healer an inscrutable look. [say]”And I believe she was also afraid that you might turn the boys against her.”[/say] It wasn’t said outright, but the summoner could read between the lines. Every piece of information he could provide might make a difference.
As Phoebe directed Pim inside with the boys, Loren’s eyes stayed trained on the healer. [say]”I don’t know. Again, she doesn’t confide in me. Even if I did, though, I'm not sure I'd be able to discuss it with you.”[/say] Maybe if Roana had come peacefully, they’d have more options. As it stood, the summoner didn’t know how any of this would end.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-07-2019
Phoebe was quiet for a moment, mulling over his words. He had said them with immediacy, not pausing to think and plot the best answer. It made her more apt to believe him. Her wide honeyed gaze turned back up to him, staring silently as she made him her mind. [say]”It is heartening to know that you think very differently from your kin on that matter.”[/say] she said quietly, thinking back to Remi’s confession that Zariah had threatened Aoife.
Her eyes narrowed though as he went on, though this time the clear fury did not immediately lash out at him. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel the heat of it though. [say]”They are six.”[/say] she said in a near growl. [say]”What sort of spineless, precariously positioned monarch is scared of the opinion of toddlers? The only one that could even pronounce government is Rhett and he probably couldn’t tell you what it was.”[/say] she huffed, knuckles turning white as she gripped her cup. [say]”They will be as quite as any other children and again, if any know how to handle them it is me. Remind me of the Queen’s credentials with little ones? Oh. That’s right. She has none.”[/say] she snipped, cheeks puffing out – a characteristic sign of her anger.
Phoebe did not in understanding as the conversation turned back to Roana again. She was silent, contemplative, her tea like a pensieve allowing her to discern her own thoughts with more clarity. [say]”A fair point…and ultimately I suppose it doesn’t matter. I will treat them like my own, regardless.”[/say]
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-08-2019
When Phoebe brought up Zariah, Loren tensed, almost imperceptibly. [say]”Maybe. But I would not rely upon differences between me and the rest of my family.”[/say] Then again, the summoner hardly needed to warn the healer of that, not after everything he’d done and said to her. Then Phoebe was off again on another tirade. At least this one was almost solely directed at Wessex, and not at him as merely the bearer of bad news. This time.
He let her say her piece—and respond to his explanation about Roana—before he himself replied. [say]”I do not think Wessex will be swayed by words, especially from either of us. The queen is a woman of action, and I’ve already tried to convince her to let the boys stay with you at the Temple, using every argument I could think of. However, if you can show her how well-behaved they will be in your care, that might do it.”[/say] That was all Phoebe had, a chance. Because despite her fierce words, in a straight up contest between the Ascended and the healer, the Launceleyn knew who he’d put his money on. And it wasn't the sweet and mild-mannered Phoebe.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Phoebe - 10-08-2019
She glanced at him slowly, quirking a brow at him. He really thought he needed to qualify that? [say]"I said heartening, not redeeming."[/say] she said dryly to clarify. She certainly hadn't forgotten his cruelty and coldness towards her, his Launceleyn colors shining through and true. If she could avoid it she wouldn't let herself be bitten again, knowing that the part of her heart that still held on to the tiny bit of hope and affection for him would be the only part that would ache in the wake of an assualt from him.
Her lips pursed, knuckles still white as she held her teacup. [say]"I suppose not. But if she needs proof that the midwife can care for children and keep them behaved it makes one question her cognitive abilities."[/say] she said with a slight snip, again towards the Queen, not at him.
[say]"Thank you for bringing them to me though. I am certain you did not wish to."[/say] she said, looking over at him again. Only then did the sight of Krosis catch her eye. [say]"Roana sent that for Cormac I imagine?"[/say] she said, gesturing to it.
RE: The Midwife's Wards - Loren - 10-08-2019
Well, it seemed that Phoebe had learned her lesson after all. Good. She needed to toughen up and learn not to trust the wrong people, and Loren was definitely the wrong people. He nodded at her statement. [say]”Fair enough.”[/say] However, as she once again criticized Wessex—showing that the healer wasn’t really listening to the summoner—the Launceleyn’s eyes drifted to the midwife’s white-knuckled grip on her teacup. Although he might have commented that helping others birth children didn’t actually qualify Phoebe to raise children of her own (especially since she was barely an adult herself) he knew that would just set her off again. [say]”You’re telling me. You need to show the queen.”[/say] Indeed, words wouldn’t help here.
As the conversation moved on to Roana’s sword, Loren placed his hand on the hilt. [say]”I’m holding on to it for safekeeping until the situation with Roana is resolved. Failing that, I’ll hold onto it until the boys are of an age to use it.”[/say] On the off chance that the ex-captain managed to evade Deimos, the summoner didn’t want the boys and the sword in the same place, not if he could help it. Besides, they were children, and had no use for blades, any more than Phoebe did. Moreover, Wessex had been very clear about the fact that they were supposed to confiscate all magical items, whether or not they were family heirlooms. The Launcelyn was already pushing his luck by allowing the children to take the items their mother had given them. [say]”In fact, I would appreciate it if you could bring me the boy’s packs, so I can check them for additional weapons or artifacts.”[/say] He was asking nicely, but if Phoebe resisted any of that information, Loren knew he’d have to act.