----------------------------------------------
NORTH GATE - AFTERNOON
----------------------------------------------
Louma flutters her wings as she lands upon the guard platform, banded club hanging from her side and a small collection of manifest papers in her left hand. She waves the arriving caravan through as she starts to thumb through the papers again, more out of habit than need since she'd just scanned over them a few minutes ago. "Why did I offer to cover gate duty? It's just more paperwork, but standing." she mutters to nobody.
Victoria stalks from the shadows of the wall some moments later, grinning a bit: "I don't know, but it does make you harder to find."
Louma twitches her tail, turning toward the familiar voice with a smile. "Good afternoon to you, Victoria. I'll have to remember that next time I want to get paid to hide, then." She tucks the papers neatly together under her arm for now.
Victoria sits down at the edge of the shadow, not quite stepping into the sun glaring through the gate. "Would be a shame if you got predictable."
Louma sighs slightly, shaking her head. "Ever since they sat me in that office, every day has been predictable. Until recently, at least."
Victoria lets out a low chuckle: "Predictable is boring."
Louma chuckles with Victoria. "That we fully agree on. So you didn't pounce, which makes me wonder why you were looking for me if not for that."
Victoria blinks, then looks aside, the humor disappearing from her voice. "I..." she swallows: "...I think I want to get that cure."
Louma pauses, then slowly nods. "So you've come to a decision... Alright. I'm happy to help, what do you need from me, Victoria?"
Victoria glances up: "Just... I guess, wanted to have you know." Her expression hardens: "You can stop worrying about it."
Louma gives a small grin, "Worried? About you? What would be the point of that, huntress? But thank you for letting me know."
Victoria gives Louma a look: "You know what I meant."
Louma nods, grin fading to a smile. "Yes, I do. Do you want me to accompany you to see Plume, or would you rather go it alone?"
Victoria considers this for a moment, then nods: "I guess it's better you come along. You want to anyway, so there's almost no point saying 'no'."
Louma nods again, glancing at the papers under her arm. "One moment and we can head there right away."
Victoria sits patiently, waiting for Louma to finish. It would take someone rather well versed in Victorian body language to notice she's actually pretty nervous about this.
Louma waits a couple minutes until the wall patrol guard wanders near enough, slithering over to the boar. After a few hushed words, and a protest cut off by a glare from the captain, she returns to Victoria, scowling slightly but free of her shift.
Victoria starts leading the way to the clinic, trying not to look like she's in a hurry and even sort of succeeding in that.
Louma slithers after the leopard wordlessly, her annoyance at the guard's attitude giving way to silent concern for Victoria.
Victoria walks to the Clinic in silence, pausing upon arrival at the front. She frowns, hating feeling this helpless and doubts roiling in her head, but... "Let's do this", she whispers to no one in particular.
Louma nods slightly in response, knocking twice on the door and casting a glance toward the leopard, opting to remain silent for now.
Narrator: Louma is just about to knock when the door opens and the ever-chatty Widow Blackmane makes her exit after her near daily visit to Plume's office. She blinks at the pair of guards, but just hobbles away without another word.
Doc Plume is standing near the door and blinks when the old horse suddenly goes silent. They cock their head and peek out the door. "Ah... Afternoon captain, Victoria."
Victoria looks at Doc, then looks down. After a moment of hesitation more, she walks forward: "Hey, Doc."
Louma nods to Widow Blackmane politely, moving aside to let her through without trouble before turning back to Plume. "Good afternoon, doctor. How does the day find you?"
Doc Plume steps aside to let the pair of guards inside. "Fine enough. A relatively light day as far as appointments go. I do have a fair few housecalls this evening, though."
Victoria stalks inside. She hesitates and turns to look at Louma: "Won't be long. I just... I need the cure, Doc."
Louma follows Victoria in, using her tail to gently close the door behind her. She lets Victoria do the talking, not wanting to cause any issues.
Doc Plume blinks at Victoria. "Oh? Of course... What brought on this decision? You seemed... content."
Victoria frowns, pausing again before continuing: "...weighed the good and the bad."
Doc Plume just listens, not wanting to seem judgmental on the subject.
Louma listens as well, coiled near the door in wait.
Victoria looks between the two: "...I want my body back, is all. Or the body I was born into, anyway. It's my body right now, and..." she shakes her head: "Augh. Just do it before my head hurts more."
Louma nods, quietly muttering; "You want to be yourself again."
Doc Plume leads Victoria over to a large-platformed scale in one corner. "Of course... I'll need your precise weight in order to get the dosage correct, so if you please?"
Victoria nods as she steps on the scale: "Okay." She feels more than a bit uncertain about the process, but is willing to trust Plume.
Doc Plume carefully adjusts the various weights and sliders until the beam of the scale reads true. They walk over to their desk and jot down the number on a scrap of paper before returning to Victoria. "It'll take me some time to compound the cure. The first batch that Garwin and Erika took expired in the intervening days."
Victoria feels her heart drop at Doc's words, but nods: "...how long?"
Louma sighs, shaking her head slightly. She had a feeling about this, but hadn't wanted to dash Victoria's determination before reaching the clinic.
Doc Plume blinks. "Twenty minutes, a half-hour at most... assuming no intervening emergencies crop up." They've already moved over to the cabinet of ingredents and started to pick out various pouches and bottles and pots."
Victoria blinks again: "Oh." She looks at Louma, then settles to lie on the floor: "Works for me, then."
Doc Plume takes the various ingredients to their desk and clears space to work, very carefully extracting a small bottle of milky white sap from a drawer. "Any changes you've noticed since you got back, Victoria? Increase or decrease in feral emotions or instincts?"
Louma moves to settle a little nearer Victoria, offering an encouraging smile.
Victoria rolls her shoulders in an approximation of a shrug: "None that I can tell."
Doc Plume gives a nod, then goes quiet as they pull out a sheaf of rough notes and atop it a more neatly written 'recipe' of sorts. Various apparatus are moved onto the desk, including a mortar and pestle, a sensitive set of balance scales, and various other bits of kit. Plume mutters a bit to themselves as they work through the recipe, their actions deliberate with plenty of double
Doc Plume checking measurements and extra careful mixing and decanting and the like. Ten minutes into the process, the white sap is painstakingly measured out drop by drop into the ground mix in the mortar.
Victoria follows Doc's work with interest, sitting up. Although it's obvious she understands nothing of the process.
Doc Plume starts adding various clear liquids to the mix as well now, before tranfering the mix into a small crucible and holding it over a flame for a mere few seconds before setting it aside and covering it. They then turn around and turn on the kettle on the shelf behind their desk, fussing with a few things out of direct sight of the others, only to turn back with a fresh cup of tea
Doc Plume once the kettle boils.
Louma watches Plume with interest as well, trying to follow the procedures as best she can, though what she'd do with the knowledge is outside even her guess.
Victoria shifts in her sitting position, feeling a bit awkward waiting as this most certainly is different from stalking prey kind of waiting...
Doc Plume gives their tea a couple of minutes to cool before taking a long sip and then returning to work on the cure. A scant few drops of fragrant oil are added in and mixed in before the crucible is heated again for only a few seconds. They look to Victoria and beckon them over with a nod. "Victoria, if you please..."
Louma glances toward Victoria, nodding in encouragement. "Here we go."
Victoria steps closer, now most assuredly fighting both curiosity and anxiety: "R-right."
Doc Plume looks at the leopard. "Now then, this isn't the main treatment, but I need you to breathe in the fumes and hold that breath for as long as you can." They take the crucible in their hands and move to take off the lid. Already, hints of the mixture's strong smell is permeating the area around the pair.
Victoria steps closer even though the smell is making her wince. She takes a deep breath and holds it, trying to ignore her desire to turn away.
Doc Plume uncovers the crucible at the sign that Victoria is about to inhale, turning their own head to the side. The fumes are very strong. While not an unpleasant smell, it's very medicinal and is strong enough to make one's eyes water and one's lungs tingle unpleasantly.
Louma watches, having missed the process with Garwin.
Victoria now definitely winces, but holds her stance. She decided to do this, gotta see it through now.
Doc Plume covers the mixture up again and sets it aside, watching victoria to time how long the breath is held in.
Victoria lets out the breath when she feels she has to, sitting back down: "...s-strong. Whoa."
Doc Plume nods. "Right... good, long enough.... now then, before we give you the oral dosage, where do you want to wake up? The other two were knocked out pretty quickly, so let's get you situated somewhere comfortable first."
Victoria blinks, not actually having had to pay much thought at all to the question in months. "Uhh... guess one of your beds here work?"
Doc Plume cocks their head. "You sure that's where you want to come to all disoriented?"
Victoria tilts her head: "I've slept on tree branches, on top of barracks shelves, and anywhere else convenient. You tell me."
Doc Plume looks to Louma. "Captain? What's your opinion?"
Louma nods in agreement. "She's probably woken up in stranger places than we've ever visited, Plume. Might help to have a friendly face nearby when she comes to. Either here or the barracks, but I leave it up to you two in the end."
Victoria looks at Louma, then at Plume: "Whatever, wherever."
Doc Plume looks to Louma. "Can you spare a guard to watch over her at the barracks, then?"
Louma nods, looking between Victoria and Plume. "Of course, that would be no problem."
Doc Plume looks to the other two. "Well, then, let's not waste any time..." They carefully pack away the cure in a small case along with the measuring tools needed to administer it.
Victoria looks at Doc's work curiously, then at Louma: "Barracks it is, then..."
Louma nods, offering a gentle smile. "We'll make sure you're comfortable."
----------------------------------------------
GUARD BARRACKS - SHORTLY AFTER
----------------------------------------------
Doc Plume looks at Victoria stretched out on a guard cot. "All right, so I'm going to put the mixture on your tongue. It'll then melt from your body heat. I need you to not try to swallow it as a lump." They carefully scoop out the thick mixture into a precisely shaped cube, which they then double check the measurements on.
Louma watches Plume as she returns from speaking to a couple guards, one heading off to rest before taking shifts with the other.
Victoria nods at Doc before just settling down, trying to be not as nervous as she feels. "...l-let's get this done, then."
Doc Plume very carefully picks up the lozenge-sized cube in a pair of small tongs and holds it out. "Right. Tongue, then."
Victoria sticks out her tongue and just about avoids commenting on how weird this is.
Doc Plume sets the cube down on the tongue and pulls back the tongs. "All right, let it melt and don't open your mouth until it's gone."
Louma settles into her coil near the cot, watching the two quietly.
Victoria nods slightly after closing her mouth, settling down.
Doc Plume watches Victoria and smiles. "Shortly after it's gone, you'll start feeling drowsy. Don't try to fight it."
Victoria nods again, laying her head down on the cot, closing her eyes. Soon enough she's fast asleep.
Doc Plume watches Victoria for a few moments and looks to Louma. "Everything seems good so far, but if she drools and it smells strongly of the salve, call me immediately."
Louma watches Victoria fall asleep, turning to Plume. She speaks quietly as she uncoils, turning toward the door. "I'll make sure the guards know. Thank you for your help, Doctor." She offers a quick bow to Plume.
Doc Plume bows back and smiles. "Sleep well, Victoria," they say quietly before making their exit.
Louma speaks quietly to the guards before following Plume out of the barracks, feeling a great relief at Victoria's decision, though she hadn't been aware of so much concern for her colleague.