Quality of Life
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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#1
















As soon as Sam found the letter, he practically ran to Isla's clinic. His eyes had hardly finished looking at the last paragraph before it was bunched up in his fist while he ran. He didn't care to learn about the risks. What could be worse than having to live the rest of his (potentially very long) life like he was?

From the way it had been written, mentioning his tea and being written with his full name...well, there were only so many people it could have come from. He was sure Remi wouldn't do it (it felt uncharacteristic. He felt if Remi had made such a thing he would have told Sam about it; that would be the right thing to do). It had to be Isla or Jigano, and Jigano seemed more keen on him accepting himself for himself. (fuck that)

The fact that the letter may have been for the Voice did not occur to him. He would have to 'visit' eventually to refuel, but he tried to avoid her as much as he could. She was too much a reminder of what he was.

As soon as he reached the door to the clinic, Sam knocked loudly on the door then rushed in. He came to a skidding stop a few steps in, looking around desperately for Isla.

"I got--I got your letter! Isla! He yelled out into the room, looking for her. "Yes! Y-yes!"

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
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#2
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
It was dark, and quiet, and patients were... y'know. Sleeping. Until now, of course, when a familiar voice began to yell out her name. Usually it was a sign that something had gone terribly awry, but Sam sounded more animated than she thought she had ever heard him before, and excited even. Still, Isla moved as though it was an emergency, stepping into the waiting room where he had been looking for her; if she'd still had breath she might have been out of it.

"Samuel? My... my letter? What do you mean?" she asked, sounding puzzled. In truth she had been expecting, almost, to see him very soon, based on what Remi had said. But she hadn't expected quite this reaction. "Is everything alright? What can I do for you?"
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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#3
















"...The...t-the letter. That you sent me." Sam unfolded the letter in his hands and held it out for Isla to inspect, the neat script now marred with many crumpled marks but still legible. That she didn't seem to know what she was talking about did make him pause, send a little sliver of panic into his chest, but he was determined enough to keep going.

He felt like dropping to his knees and praying to her to fix it all now, but he had to calm down and ask normally. Taking a deep breath that he didn't need, he pushed his hair back and closed his eyes, suddenly conscious of the people around him.

"There...it says...upgrade? There's an u-upgrade? For me? To feel again?" He asked, quietly. "I want it right now. Please."

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#4
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
Puzzled, Isla accepted the letter from his hands and scanned through it with quick and precise glances. She hadn't written this, and she had a very good idea who had, but of course she would not allow that to pass by her lips. At least the letter had phrased it as truthfully as possible, understating the positives and emphasising the other effects it might have.

When she was finished, she folded the letter neatly and offered it back out to Sam. "Please, follow me," she murmured, leading him through into the ward and reassuring the other medics working overnight that there was no problem. She entered one of the treatment rooms, indicating for Sam to go ahead inside. "Wait there for me, if you would?"

Without another word, Isla was off again. She returned within a few short moments, something in her hands wrapped very carefully in parchment.

"You read the letter? All of it? The bad and the good?"
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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#5
















Isla seemed even more stumped as she actually saw the letter. It really did seem she hadn't written it...but then who had? Sam had gone through his acquaintances who knew of his problems and had crossed them all out. Could it be that he didn't know one of them as well as he had thought?

The question of who had sent it consumed his thoughts as he followed Isla and then waited, perching on the edge of a chair and looking at the ground with his fingers steepled. He didn't like the idea of not knowing. It meant that someone was keeping secrets from him, for a reason that he couldn't think of. Secrets meant bad things, always did.

He stared at the item in Isla's hands as soon as she entered, wanting desperately to reach out and take it right away. "Yes. I r-read it. But I don't care. Anything. I can handle anything. For the end of th-this. Please just do what you have to." Sam held out his wrists, not sure what was involved in this process but wanting to get it started right away.

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#6
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
Isla clicked the door shut behind her, turning to find Sam waiting in the chair with his wrists already held out as though his decision had been made. And much as she might have chosen a different path for herself, and much as she was wary of the device within the parchment... she could only commend Sam for it. She would not take this decision from him, if it had been made with full knowledge of what might happen.

"Very well," she murmured, nodding to him and flashing him a kind smile. "Whatever happens, I'll be here, alright? If you need help, or if you have concerns... or just to talk." That and she was shamelessly interested in seeing what the patch did, the longer the possibility of finding out was presented to her.

So without further preamble, Isla unfolded the parchment and revealed the delicate, cloth like device, the elegant circuitry facing both Ascended. Carefully, she held it out towards Sam's left wrist; as the device grew close enough it seemed to simply leap from Isla's hands, fusing seamlessly against the bookmaker's wrist, flush against his skin.
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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#7
















Thankfully Isla did not delay the application any longer. Sam's arms shook with nerves and anticipation as she approached, unsure if he had to do anything to aid the process; but before he even had time to properly see the device she held out it was a part of him, fusing effortlessly to his skin and becoming invisible.

For just a second, he didn't think it had done anything. He brought his arms down with a confused expression...and then he felt the edge of the chair. Smooth, polished wood, but his fingers could pick out the cracks in the worn parts, the roughness of old grains. All at once it rushed to him. The cold ground under his feet, the smell of sickly sweet illness and perfumes and...he didn't know if he was making it up, but the room before him even seemed a little more colourful.

He was so overwhelmed that he fell to the floor, his legs giving way; this is when he made the third discovery. His legs hurt, a little jolt of pain going from his thighs to his knees. "Oh! Ow." Sam yelped automatically, but he was actually thrilled. A large grin split across his face. "I felt that."

With a shaking, emotional tone he looked up and spoke to Isla. "Thank you. Th-thank you. I can't...I can't repay you. N-not for this."

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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#8
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
After applying the patch, Isla straightened up once more and stepped back to give Sam some space. She watched him carefully, wary for any of the unusual or adverse effects mentioned by Remi or the Voice. When he fell she moved forward, especially as he yelped in pain, but that in itself seemed like a good sign and it had a smile flickering across Isla's face.

"It worked? You feel... well, you feel?" she was smiling too, holding out a hand to help Sam to his feet again if he wanted. The relief was obvious in her, Isla shaking her head and letting out a soft and almost giddy laugh. "I... I didn't..." She paused to rephrase, not wanting to say anything that would have Sam asking where the device came from.

"You're very, very welcome," she said instead. "Can I get you anything? You might want to stay here a little while, just to make sure things are as they should be."
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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#9
















"I feel so much!" He jubilantly confirmed, his voice wavering with sheer emotion as he picked himself up off the ground (cold stone on his hands) and wobbled to his feet (the slight ache in his legs). Sam put his hands out and simply waved them around to feel the air move between his fingers, so real.

Staying here seemed cruel when there was so much world to explore out there, but if Isla wanted it he would stay. She had given him this marvellous gift, after all. Besides, she was probably right; if there were such awful adverse effects as promised, he wanted to be in the place where he could get treatment.

"Could I...do you have....d-drinks? Or food? Or something...a-aromatic?" He asked eagerly, clasping his hands together. "I...I just want to enjoy it."

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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MP: 3061
#10
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
Watching Sam was like watching a child explore the world for the first time, and Isla could only stand by and grin at how much pleasure he seemed to be getting from the experience. At his request she nodded, heading to the door. "I'll see what I can find for you. Wait right here," she told him, swiftly departing from the treatment room.

Within a few short minutes Isla had managed to get hold of some hot, sweet tea, some peppermint bark and a few snowdrops that had been in a vase on one of the window sills. "Will this be alright?" she asked. "And you don't feel anything... off, or strange?" To have the patch work without any negatives was better than even Isla could imagine.
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
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#11
















Sam waited, passing the time by just touching the different parts of his clothes and feeling the textures of them. Had his coat always been so soft? It was if he had had wax dried on his fingertips for years and had just had it cracked off. Everything was so much it nearly hurt, but he couldn't get enough of it.

When Isla returned he gladly took the tea, breathing it in and smiling wide as he found he could smell it perfectly, almost taste it just from the steam. "It..it's perfect. And no, I...I feel...fine. Normal, I think. It's just a lot." He nodded to confirm after pausing for a second to feel out for any pain.

After a sip of tea, he licked the end of the peppermint experimentally; the tastes didn't go together at all but he didn't care, knowing that they didn't enough for him to be thrilled. "Oh, Isla. M..maybe being Ascended won't be so awful anymore. Th-thank you. You are the b-best doctor I have ever known."

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#12
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
"Yes, I bet," Isla murmured softly, offering him a kind smile and nodding as he spoke. "Be careful not to get overwhelmed. I'm not sure how to treat someone who has passed out from smelling tea!" Her laughter was warm and good-natured; all in all Samuel seemed better than fine, and Isla could almost enjoy the tea and the peppermint vicariously through watching him.

"I will take your compliment, Samuel, but I really didn't do anything all that miraculous," she said slowly, setting the tray down on a small table next to his chair.

"If you're still feeling alright after the tea, I don't see a reason to need to keep you. But... if you do experience any side effects and you'd like me to take a look, I'll be right here, okay? Don't be a stranger - in a nice way," she said.
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#13
















"I'm not--" Sam laughed. "I'm not going to p-pass out." With a smile he put down the tea and picked up the flowers, holding them close to his face and smelling them; Sam wrinkled his nose at the smell, finding he didn't much care for it, and put them back down. "That's very st-strong."

He nodded to Isla's advice but he knew he'd be running around outside just feeling everything til he keeled over rather than coming back to risk it being taken away. "I...I know you're busy here with people who are really sick. S-so thank you. For this." He lifted his tea cup to her then drank from it with a smile.

SAMUEL
How could a night so frozen
Be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild
Be so raw?
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#14
ISLA
physician, heal thyself
He said he wasn't going to pass out and Isla believed him; he seemed to be enjoying the new sensations far too much to be anything other than awake and alert. She hid a laugh behind her hand as he sniffed the flowers, nodding to him. "Yes, but some of the residents prefer it to the smell of rubbing alcohol and medicinal herbs," she agreed.

Hearing him out, the medic shook her head shoftly and offered him a kind smile as she lowered her hand once more. "You were sick," she said. "It might not have been a broken leg or a fever, but you were still hurting. Ironically the cure is that you really can feel pain again now." Still, his thanks were appreciated and she seemed glad to have improved things for him, even if only passively.

"However, I should get back to some of those patients," she agreed. "You can stay in here as long as you like. Finish your tea and enjoy," she said. "And perhaps the next time we meet it will be to enjoy each other's company, instead of discussing medicine."


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