Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on May 26, 2010 14:44:38 GMT -5
Vincent looked up and over the heads of the choir at the clock on the opposite wall as the bell rang to signal the end of class. He smiled out at the students as he closed the anthology that sat open on the music stand in front of him and tucked it under one arm.
"Our time is up. Have a good day, everyone." He picked up his now-empty mug of tea in his free hand and followed the students who began to file out of the room. He caught Rudeth's eye and gave the young man a smile; he was quite an excellent singer, and a pleasure to teach.
Without warning a searing pain flared up in Vincent's head, and his knees buckled beneath him. The mug slipped from his hand, hit the floor and shattered into a dozen pieces, and the book landed with a thud amid the china shards. Vincent crumpled to the floor on top of the mess, the white-hot pain giving way to a swift, consuming blackness even as he fell.
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jun 1, 2010 0:30:35 GMT -5
Rudeth stood in place and stretched, slightly cramped from the tight seating on the risers. Over the past year or two choir had gotten a lot more popular, and the headmistress wasn't exactly generous with her budget, which meant that some of the taller kids -- like Rudeth -- were crowded in. This wasn't much of a problem when singing, since normally they stood, but any time they had an actual lesson or class discussion he was stuck wedged tightly between the other tenors and the alto in front of him.
Still, it had been a good lesson. Choir was easily Rudeth's favorite class--not that he would ever tell Professor Smoke that--and Rudeth almost enjoyed the music theory discussions more than the singing. Almost.
Rudeth grinned and waved at Professor Hawk after collecting his things, ready to head on to his next class.
Then Professor Hawk collapsed.
Rudeth went pale and leaped off of the risers, scampering to the professor's side. It had come seemingly out of nowhere; Professor Hawk had been fine during lessons, as far as he could tell.
"Professor Hawk! Professor, can you hear me?" Rudeth felt his forehead and hissed. He was burning up, and now that he saw him up close, he did look really pale. Had he been feeling like this all day? He checked his pulse -- thankfully he seemed okay there, so hopefully this was nothing serious. He'd just take him to Miss E and she could fix him no problem...
He looked back at the professor. The infirmary was several floors down and a pretty long walk. He could probably carry the professor there, but it might be better to just call someone else up.
"Hang on, Professor," he said, pushing himself to his feet. "You're gonna be fine."
Rudeth dashed into the little adjoining office, looking frantically over the equipment. Something ought to be able to call the infirmary, or...Ah! Vincent's office had an intercom system.
Rudeth held down the button on the loudspeaker and called out firmly, "Will Doctor Evans-Barros please come to the choir room? This is an emergency." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Will Doctor Evans-Barros and Professor Harrows please come to the choir room?"
He released the button and took a deep breath. He just had to hope they'd get here soon. He wasn't leaving Professor Hawk, class or not.
He went back to the classroom and sat in the floor near the older man, picking up the pieces of the teacup from the carpet. It was a shame to see it broken; he'd seen the professor with it almost every day for the past four years. He set the pile of broken china on the top of the piano, then did the same for the anthology.
Rudeth rolled up his jacket and propped the professor's head up with it, then readjusted him to a more comfortable position. It was about all he could do at the moment. "Just hang on, Professor," he said. "You're gonna be okay."
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 1, 2010 12:41:00 GMT -5
Ariel jumped at the sound of something hitting the floor, and looked between the other students just in time to see her father fall. She gave a small shriek of fright and pressed urgently through the mass of students between them, her heart pounding. He had been fine a minute ago! What was wrong?
She dropped to her knees beside Rudeth, taking one of her father's hands in both of her own and looking up at the older boy with wide, frightened eyes, her voice coming out as a squeak. "What happened?"
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jun 1, 2010 17:24:02 GMT -5
Rudeth shook his head. "I'm not completely sure," he murmured. "He fainted, and it feels like he has a fever. It's probably nothing Miss E can't handle, though..." Rudeth looked up at her and smiled reassuringly. "He'll be fine, I promise." He didn't know Ariel very well, but she'd always been nice to him, and he understood exactly how scary it must have been to see her father collapse like that.
"Maybe if you sing to him," he suggested. "It might make him feel better. I can play the accompaniment on the piano, if you want." Rudeth wasn't entirely sure it would be helpful to the Professor, but he was sure that it would at least make Ariel feel better, and that was better than sitting around and doing nothing.
Rudeth pushed himself to his feet and sat down on the bench in front of the piano. "Just tell me what song," he said.
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Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on Jun 1, 2010 20:36:52 GMT -5
Vincent stirred slightly, his eyes slowly fluttering open, staring blankly upward at something only he could see.
The blackness in his mind slowly gave way to light, blindingly bright and white. The colors of the rainbow flickered at the corners of his vision. He looked around him, but there was nothing to see but the light and the colors; looking down, he realized that he no longer seemed to have a body, nor indeed a head. What, then, was doing the looking?
He could still hear his thoughts, and feel his heart, mind and soul, everything that made him Vincent Hawk. He knew who he was, but the question of what soon presented himself, not to mention where, when, how and why. He was warm, and for reasons he couldn't explain, he instinctively knew he was safe, and loved. There seemed to be other presences around him, all as disembodied as he was; the love and comfort were radiating from them.
He felt rather than saw someone approaching him, breaking free from the gentle mass of presences around him. A voice reached him, though it seemed more like a projected thought than an audible voice. It was a voice he knew well, one he could never forget even if he had wanted to.
Welcome home, Vincent, said the voice of Christine. Her presence wrapped around him, enfolding him in love and happiness that radiated from her like golden light. I've been waiting for you.
Even as the words reached him, Vincent realized what must have happened. He was dead, and this was heaven. Strange, though, he couldn't remember what had killed him. Had he been ill? He suspected it didn't really matter, now that it was over.
Christine, he murmured, pressing into her embrace. I've missed you...
"Christine," Vincent said aloud, his voice barely carrying. "I've missed you..." His eyes showed no sign of seeing what was going on around him.
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 1, 2010 20:51:56 GMT -5
Ariel watched her father's face intently, her heart leaping in hope as his eyes fluttered open. But they were unfocused; he couldn't seem to see her at all. Whatever he was looking at, it was for his eyes alone.
She continued watching him and holding his hand, biting her lip and leaning close to him when he mumbled something that could barely be heard. Her heart sank when she heard her mother's name, and knew what must be happening behind her father's blank eyes.
"He's delirious," she whispered to anyone who was listening. "He thinks he's dead..."
She could feel tears burning in her eyes, and fought to hold them back. Crying would do no good; she had to be strong, as her father would want her to be. Ariel gently massaged her father's hand, looking anxiously into his face. Maybe he could still hear her.
"Dad, it's me," she told him gently, her voice wavering as she tried hard to keep it from breaking. "Your daughter, Ariel... do you recognize me?"
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jun 2, 2010 3:14:40 GMT -5
Rudeth made a pained face and rested one hand on Ariel's shoulder. "Just keep talking to him," he whispered. "Try to get him to focus on you. You might be able to pull him back."
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 2, 2010 12:39:22 GMT -5
Ariel pressed into Rudy's touch and nodded once, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She was very tempted to sing to her father, but deep down she knew it might only make things worse -- if he was seeing Christine, he might think it was her singing, and he probably wouldn't want to believe otherwise -- especially if she sang something from Phantom.
She kept both her hands wrapped around her father's hot, clammy one, looking into his face, and speaking to him again, an increasing note of urgency in her voice.
"Dad, can you hear me? Look at me, Dad. Come back to me," she pleaded, her voice starting to break despite her efforts. She managed to hold back her tears, but only just; they swam in her eyes and blurred her vision. Fear boiled in her stomach like acid. She desperatey hoped Miss E and Professor Harrows would get here soon... maybe they would be able to help.
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Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on Jun 2, 2010 17:40:45 GMT -5
Vincent lay without moving, still staring at things only he could see, listening to things only he could hear; whatever it was was making him smile. There was nothing to indicate that he could see or hear Ariel, Rudeth or anyone else in the room.
Other presences were breaking away from the invisible throng now, coming forth to greet him; Vincent found that he recognized each of them, the friends and family members he had loved and lost. He knew them all by their minds, hearts and souls, now laid bare and freed from earthly bodies. He laughed as he was enveloped in their joy and affection, and knew they could feel the emotions he returned to them.
Vincent looked up abruptly at the sound of music drifting through the endless whiteness around him -- the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, like choirs and orchestras singing and playing in perfect harmony, but with no human voices, nor earthly instruments. Angels, it must be, thousands of thousands of them. They were welcoming another soul to paradise, and praising God for His goodness and glory. Vincent could have stayed and listened to it forever.
Christine's disembodied laughter drew his attention as she spoke in answer to the thoughts he had not consciously voiced. You will be able to listen forever, silly. This is Heaven, after all.
Vincent smiled and laughed, looking over at her. As if I could forget that. It's nothing like I imagined it, but then again, what would Heaven be if we could comprehend it during our lives?
I don't think it would be quite as heavenly, Christine replied, her very presence smiling.
True, true, Vincent laughed.
"As if I could forget that," Vincent murmured, laughing softly in his delirium. "It's nothing like I imagined it, but then again, what would Heaven be if we could comprehend it during our lives?" He paused and quietened for a few seconds, then laughed again. "True, true."
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Diana Hawk
Ireth
Ass't Principal; Head of Shapeshifters
You told I had the eyes of a wolf; search them and find the beauty of the beast.
Posts: 262
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Post by Diana Hawk on Jun 2, 2010 20:48:59 GMT -5
Diana burst into the music room a few minutes later, wide-eyed and white-faced in terror. She hadn't heard Rudeth's announcement over the intercom -- thank goodness Allan had been nearby to let her know there was an emergency. She had run the whole way up three flights of stairs, and was clutching a stitch in one side. Now she scanned the room urgently and soon saw where Rudeth and Ariel knelt over the limp form of Vincent.
Hurrying toward them as the students parted quickly to let her through, she knelt beside Ariel, looking down at Vincent and taking his free hand. She gasped softly in alarm; his skin was burning with fever and clammy with sweat. Vincent's eyes were glazed, and his lips were moving as he murmured to himself in some sort of delirium. Diana bit her lip as she read the words on Vincent's. It didn't make much sense at first, but she flinched slightly and shrank back a little as she saw him speaking the name Christine.
It didn't take long for her to put two and two together, and she didn't like the answer she came up with. He was speaking of Christine, or to her, in what Diana knew must have been loving tones. But there was no mention of Ariel, or Diana, or any of the friends and kin Vincent knew at Dunehelden. They all seemed forgotten now that Vincent's world revolved around his dead wife and the heaven his mind had created for them.
Diana turned her face away, unable to look at him anymore as tears stung her eyes, and she tried not to sob. A mixture of fear, pain, sadness and anger coursed through her veins like poison. What had happened to Vincent to bring him to this state? Would he recover from it? What if he couldn't, or worse, if he didn't want to? How long could he go on like this, dreaming of death while the living waited for him to come back to them?
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jun 3, 2010 18:39:28 GMT -5
Rudeth crouched near Professor Harrows, watching her sadly. He couldn't imagine what she might have been feeling, but he could tell from her expression that she had put together what Vincent must have been seeing.
He took her hand and gave her a sad smile. "He will be okay," he whispered, keeping his words slow and clear. "Ellie can help him."
Rudeth wished that there was something more he could do. He felt very strange here, like he was looking in on some close family event where he didn't belong.
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Diana Hawk
Ireth
Ass't Principal; Head of Shapeshifters
You told I had the eyes of a wolf; search them and find the beauty of the beast.
Posts: 262
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Post by Diana Hawk on Jun 3, 2010 18:57:05 GMT -5
Diana looked up at Rudy as he took her hand, and sadly read his lips when he spoke to her. She managed to give him a nod and a small, hollow smile, tears threatening to spill down her face.
She glanced away from him, looking over at Ariel, who was visibly fighting not to cry as she spoke to her father, begging him to 'come back to us.' Diana echoed Ariel's plea in her own thoughts, hoping for Ariel's sake that Rudy was right, and everything would be fine once Ellie arrived. She only hoped it would be soon.
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 4, 2010 19:04:50 GMT -5
"Come back to us... please..."
Ariel's voice broke, and she took a deep breath, then another, trying to keep from sobbing. Tears started to run down her face, but she didn't wipe them away, still holding her father's hand tightly. She felt like she might be sick with fear and frustration. Nothing she was doing now was doing any good, and she couldn't think of anything that felt right to sing, even if she could manage to do so without crying. What could she or anyone else do until Ellie got there?
Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance... The song drifted unbidden into Ariel's head, and she tensed a little. Steeling herself, she fought to stop her tears and steady her breathing as the next few verses played out in her mind.
Her frustration and desperation mounted with each passing second, and soon she began to sing softly to her father, her voice trembling with emotion. She knew her voice didn't hold the same power her father's did, but maybe it would help him focus on her, like Rudy had suggested. It gave her something to hope for, at least, and it made her feel like she was being useful, rather than focusing on her fear.
"Angel of Music, you've denied me, turning from true beauty! Angel of Music, do not shun me; come to your strange angel!"
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jun 7, 2010 13:28:25 GMT -5
When the summons reached her, Ellie was in the sick bay, healing Jaebi Lyckander of a bad cold that had him wheezing and coughing like a horse. With all the time he spent out in the cold these days, Ellie was only surprised that it had taken him this long to fall ill.
It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, however. Her magic had healed his congestions and sore throat and calmed the shakes. She couldn't do anything for the fever, though. He was sent off to his dorm room to get some sleep.
And then the announcement came.
Ellie wasn't a fast runner-- but at the word emergency she veritably flew out of the Bay. Past the library, down several corridors and two staircases, past the Mess Hall and another corridor. She pushed open the doors to the choir room, took in the scene, and rushed to Vincent.
"What happened?" she asked, wasting no time as she checked his vitals.
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 7, 2010 17:34:27 GMT -5
Ariel looked up as Ellie burst into the room and knelt near her, trying to steady her voice as she spoke. "H-he collapsed... he has a bad fever and he's hallucinating. Nobody knows how it happened, he was fine one minute and like this the next..." She looked into the healer's eyes, her gaze pleading. "Can you help him?"
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Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on Jun 8, 2010 18:27:41 GMT -5
Something new wove its way into the heavenly music for a moment; Vincent turned toward it, wondering what he was hearing, and if it was real. He could have sworn he had heard Ariel's voice, singing a soft, sad song amid the angels' exaltations...
Ariel? he called out softly, moving toward where he had heard his daughter's voice. It couldn't be her... she was still alive... wasn't she? He didn't know what had killed him; maybe whatever it was had harmed Ariel as well. If only he could remember!
"Ariel...?" The name wavered on Vincent's lips, and he shifted slightly where he lay. His eyes still held a feverish glaze. The hallucination continued behind them, nothing but his continued murmurs giving anyone an inkling of what he saw and heard.
I don't think she's here, Vincent, Christine told him gently. Trust me, we'd both know if she was. I imagine she misses you terribly.
Of course she does, Vincent replied. And Diana... Did she even know he was dead? Did anyone know?
Your new girlfriend? Christine asked quietly.
Vincent nodded. I wish I could see her again... both of them... just one more time. If only just to say goodbye...
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 8, 2010 19:54:26 GMT -5
Ariel looked intently into her father's face, giving a soft gasp and a whimper as he murmured her name and moved a little where he lay. Maybe she was helping after all. Maybe her father was coming back...
"Dad?" she called out to him again, a small bud of hope starting to bloom in her heart. "Can you hear me?"
But he continued to murmur to no one, oblivious to her or anyone else. The bloom in Ariel's heart wilted slightly around the edges, but she refused to let it die. He had heard her once -- or seemed to -- so maybe if she kept trying, he would come back completely. And Ellie would help, surely, however she could.
She looked up at the healer, taking a slow breath. Ellie still hadn't answered her question from before.
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Diana Hawk
Ireth
Ass't Principal; Head of Shapeshifters
You told I had the eyes of a wolf; search them and find the beauty of the beast.
Posts: 262
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Post by Diana Hawk on Jun 10, 2010 17:26:20 GMT -5
Diana kept her eyes on Vincent's face, reading his lips with increasing dismay. She leaned forward a little as he mentioned Ariel at last -- perhaps he was coming back? But his eyes still had a febrile look to them, and when he spoke next it was to some unseen partner in conversation. He mentioned Diana shortly after, but it was not in a way that reassured her at all. He was still lost in his delusions of heaven, mentioning her and his daughter only out of a desire to say farewell to them. But at least he hadn't forgotten them completely.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jun 10, 2010 17:26:37 GMT -5
Ellie took Vincent and supported him against her, cupping one hand over his eyes and forehead. Her magic, much to her confusion, found no injury-- Vincent reacted like one inflicted of influenza. The symptoms were soothed by her magic, some receding to almost nothing. Others, however, were laced with something new-- it wasn't a virus. It was much closer to...
Ellie frowned. Why there were traces of magic in Vincent's system, she couldn't know. Nor could she do much for his fever, which Ellie was sure was causing the hallucinations. She radiated her magic from her hand, cooling Vincent as best she could.
"I need ice," she ordered of anyone who was listening, her voice carrying all the authority of a drill sergeant, "and washcloths with cold water. Someone run and fetch the gurney from the bay." She turned back to Vincent for a moment, and in the split second that she sensed no movement spoke again. "Now!"
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Jun 10, 2010 17:38:42 GMT -5
Dubhiarr had been watching the whole scenario play out, unable to do much other than look on in fear and concern. When Ellie spoke up, she leaped at the chance to do something useful.
"I'll get them," she spoke up quickly, and bolted from the room.
It took several minutes for her to get back up to the choir room, wheeling the washcloth-laden gurney quickly up the hall; behind her, a random student she had passed in the hallway and roped into helping her came carrying bowls of ice water.
Dubhiarr carefully maneuvered the gurney into the choir room, taking the washcloths down from the gurney as the other student brought the bowls to Ellie's side. Dubhiarr quickly dipped a cloth into the ice water and held it there to get it as wet and cold as possible, then wrung it out and began bathing Pofessor Hawk's face.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jun 10, 2010 17:53:37 GMT -5
Ellie sighed with relief at Dubhiarr's return. She set Vincent down, carefully, and lowered the gurney to the floor.
"Diana, Dubhiarr, Rudeth; help me lift him." It wasn't a far lift-- just a few inches up, and over onto the gurney. To the student who had gone with Du: "Go to the kitchens and fetch a few bags of ice-- three or four will do. Meet us at the sick bay. Ariel, if you'd please go ahead of us and find my packet of syringes and a vial of salicin-- both are in the storage closet, should be on one of the middle shelves. The salicin vials are marked green."
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jun 10, 2010 18:01:42 GMT -5
Ariel nodded, getting quickly to her feet and darting out the door beside the student who had helped Dubhiarr. She ran down to the sickbay as fast as her legs would carry her, with hope and fear mingling in her heart. Maybe they could help her father... but what if they couldn't?
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jun 11, 2010 17:55:44 GMT -5
Rudeth nodded solemnly to Ellie and slipped his arms under Professor Hawk's body. He was a bit heavier than Rudeth expected--Vincent was more muscular than he looked--but he was still light enough the Rudeth could lift him alone. He hefted the professor up and gently laid him on the gurney.
With Ellie here, most of his worries had been assuaged. Ellie was one of the best healers he knew. If anyone could fix Vincent, she could.
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Post by Meriel "Dubhiarr" MacNamara on Jun 12, 2010 21:37:53 GMT -5
Dubhiarr drew back slightly as Rudy lifted Professor Hawk onto the gurney, then resumed bathing the man's fever-flushed face with the damp washcloth. She didn't know what was wrong, but surely it was nothing Ellie couldn't take care of.
She placed her free hand on the gurney's handle, looking over at Ellie. "Whenever you're ready, I can start wheeling him down to the infirmary."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jun 12, 2010 22:05:41 GMT -5
Ellie set the gurney to its proper height once Vincent was secure atop it.
"Here we go," she said to Du. "Diana, get the door, please."
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