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PLUME'S CLINIC - LATE NIGHT
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Doc Plume sits at their desk, poring over patient files and making notes as they try to get all the paperwork for the returnees in order. The territorial administrator in Bairnell needs information to justify the extra spending on supplies and manpower, so Plume is doing their best to get that summary ready as quick as possible. Besides, it's not too bad to be down here in case anyone in the ward needs sudden attention.
Nesseth has been lying awake for the past while, having had plenty of opportunities to catch a few decent naps during the day. Earlier in the day, he's been able to get up onto his feet, since his injuries have largely been confined to his upper body, with his lack of mobility mostly just being due to exhaustion and strain. Feeling a bit restless, he swings his legs out of bed and decides to go for a little walk around the clinic, just to stretch a bit. As he steps out from the ward, his eyes are drawn to the light emanating from Plume's desk, and he smiles as he slowly ambles over. "Evening, dear. You're up late tonight."
Doc Plume looks up at the sound of shuffling feet and smiles when they see that it's Nesseth. They set their quill back in its stand and rise to meet the lizard. "Ah, well, the administrators in Bairnell want some data to justify all the costs, so I need to get that sorted quickly." They look Nesseth over before hugging him loosely, not wanting to put undue pressure on any injured areas. "How are you feeling? Did you need anything?"
Nesseth wraps Plume in a hug with his good arm as they move to embrace him, holding them close. "I'm feeling okay, just a bit restless right now. Been sleeping off and on all day, so I'm not all too tired at the moment."
Doc Plume smiles and leans in to kiss Nesseth's cheek before pulling away from the hug slowly. "Would you like some tea?" Before he can answer, they've already turned around to put the kettle on. "And how's morale in the ward? I think everyone puts on a brave face for me, at least the guards..."
Nesseth hums at the kiss and smiles as he lets Plume slip away to start up some tea. "A bit of tea would be really nice, yeah..." He casts a look over his shoulder towards the ward, then nods, "Morale's pretty good, all told. You, Tarbin and Melia did a great job at getting everyone stabilized and healing. The only thing I can hear that isn't positive is some folks feeling down about those that didn't make it back from out west."
Doc Plume frowns as they listen to Nesseth. "Well... sadly I can't bring back the dead..." They pick up the kettle just as it starts boiling and pours the water into a teapot they had been preparing. "Have you heard any news from the saur camp? I've offered to help if they need it, but there was just a kind refusal."
Nesseth shakes his head. "I've not heard much of anything aside from whenever someone stops by to visit. Last I remember, they were planning to settle outside of the walls while trying to integrate with the town. Their healers are pretty good, though, so I think it's just a matter of them getting accustomed to the new routine."
Doc Plume sits down at their desk again as they wait for the tea to steep. They reach across the desk to take Nesseth's hand in theirs. "Once things are more settled, I want to meet their healers, see if we can share anything back and forth..."
Nesseth reaches out and gently takes hold of Plume's hand as he sits down in one of the chairs. "I think you'd be impressed to see what they've been able to do with the plants local to the Prominence and surrounding areas. Almost as good as modern medicine, I'd say."
Doc Plume smiles. "Yeah, well, their culture has survived for thousands of years somehow, so they're obviously pretty far from mindless savages or whatever some of the folks back in Vamas and Sarn would have you think."
Nesseth nods. "They're a bit nervous, all considered, but I think you talking medicine with them would do a fair bit to help calm them down and settle in. Some of the other healers have already been swapping knowledge with them, too."
Doc Plume pours two cups of tea and slides one across to Nesseth, having to release his hand to do so. "Well, hopefully the ward will clear out soon and I can go visit them in about a week..."
Nesseth accepts the cup of tea, but takes a few moments to move his injured arm around a bit, an action that elicits a bit of a discontented hum. The scarring has been healing well enough, but Tarbin has already told him that it most likely will be permanent to a degree, which... doesn't really bother Nesseth much. "Yeah... with me being up and about again, I think I might be able to vacate my bed in the ward soon enough. The rest should be filtering out over the next several days, I think. Thankfully, most of the injured are recovering quickly."
Doc Plume takes a sip of their tea, but frowns at the sight of Nesseth's pain. "I wish we could do more the arm. If it hampers your movement, we could try surgery later, but it would be a lot of risk..."
Nesseth shakes his head again as he takes a moment to sip his tea. "No, I think I'll be fine. It's just a lot of healing I need to do, still, probably. Those electrical attacks definitely cooked me a bit... but at least muscles can heal up even if they're really damaged."
Doc Plume just nods solemnly, though her eyes are still focused on the shoulder, watching how it moves. "Well, at least I can monitor it for you regularly."
Nesseth hums, nodding in turn. "Thank you, Plume... I'm pretty sure I'll recover in time, and, really... I'm just glad it was my off arm."
Doc Plume meets Nesseth's eyes with theirs again and smiles. "Sorry... hard to turn off the surgeon brain sometimes. You know how it is..."
Nesseth chuckles and smiles in turn. "Yeah, I know. I'll be fine, though, and you can keep an eye on it as much as you want." He holds Plume's gaze and tilts his head curiously, "But... how have you been holding up this whole time? You've been really busy tending to everyone, and I didn't want to pull you away from others that need the help just to talk during the day."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "I'm coping. Having Tarbin and Melia to help is great... and Erika has been doing extra herb collection to keep up with what we need..."
Nesseth slowly stands up from his seat and moves around the desk to wrap Plume is a warm hug from behind. "I figured it's been really stressful for you since the wounded came back while we were still out to the west. This has to be the biggest thing I've ever seen happening since I first arrived here."
Doc Plume fluffs their wings and chirps quietly, leaning their head back against Nesseth. "It has... I was so worried about you."
Nesseth lightly leans his head against Plume's. "I can say that I was doing just fine all the way up until we got to the Prominence. All these injuries were from fighting the former leader of the Saurs." He takes a moment to just sigh as he takes comfort in Plume's familiar warmth and fluff, "But I'm home again, so that worry can be lifted off your shoulders, along with any other worries I can help ease for you."
Doc Plume closes their eyes and gives a little yawn, just relaxing in Nesseth's embrace. "Mm... maybe I should get some sleep. Are you all right to climb up the stairs with me?"
Nesseth smiles and gives Plume a soft kiss on the side of their beak. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay. Really, it just feels nice to not be stuck in a bed or a cot for days on end."
Doc Plume stands up slowly and turns to hug Nesseth back, wrapping their wings around him. "Yeah... so we'll go up in a minute, but for now this is just... nice." They kiss Nesseth on the lips, their eyes drifting closed again.
Nesseth hums softly as he continues to gently cuddle Plume, letting them relax as they while away the next bit of time just properly enjoying each others' company for the first time in over a month in quiet, cozy silence.