Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 15, 2010 19:47:47 GMT -5
Aodh kept one hand in Rivienne's and used the other to knock on the infirmary door, his heart beating faster in his chest. He still clung to the hope that Ellie could heal his eyes, despite the nagging doubt that it was in vain. There was only one way to know for sure.
|
|
|
Post by Rivienne Volkova on Sept 15, 2010 20:16:17 GMT -5
Rivienne tightened her hand comfortingly around Aodh's. "Don't worry so much," she said soothingly. "If anyone can do this, it's Ellie."
Though Rivienne wasn't entirely sure that this could be cured as easily as that -- she'd never been one to believe in easy solutions, after all -- she wanted very dearly to believe, for Aodh's sake. And she meant what she said -- Ellie was the finest healer she had ever had the pleasure to meet, and Rivienne had worked with a great deal of healers in her time. She knew that if for some reason this did fail, it would not be for lack of skill on Ellie's part.
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 15, 2010 20:22:27 GMT -5
Aodh smiled. "I am the opposite of worried, Rivienne. If this works out, it will change my whole life for the better."
He waited still, listening for the door to open.
|
|
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
|
Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 15, 2010 21:19:37 GMT -5
The door did open a few moments later, and a Academy upperclassman slipped out, glancing at the two professors before hurrying on back to class. Ellie stepped out to watch him go, shaking her head.
"If it bothers you after dinner," she called, "Come back to me."
Then she smiled at Rivienne and...Rivienne's companion.
"Hello," she said, smiling earnestly at the two of them. The male was taller than her by a bit. Maybe two or three inches. But when she met his eyes, she was mildly surprised to see that they had a distanced look to them, as if he were focused inward.
Oh. He was blind.
Curious, Ellie stepped aside to let them in. "Come for a visit?"
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 15, 2010 21:32:54 GMT -5
Aodh smiled brightly at the soft creak of the door opening and the sound of a woman's voice from inside the room. This must be Ellie. He felt someone brush past him and moved aside a little, then turned to face the woman when she spoke again.
"Doctor Evans-Barros, I presume," he said with a smile. "I've heard nothing but good about you. My name is Professor Aodh Breannan; I'm here to ask you if you might be able to restore my eyesight. I lost it some time ago as a side-effect of a curse."
|
|
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
|
Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 17, 2010 20:09:01 GMT -5
Ellie's eyebrows rose. His confidence in her abilities startled her.
"H-how long ago did you lose your sight, Professor Breannan?"
Of course, she hadn't tried anything like restoring a lost sense. Not recently, at least. Then again, since February her powers had developed new forms. Odd forms.
Maybe she could help, after all.
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 17, 2010 20:12:20 GMT -5
"About a year and a half ago," Aodh told her, idly scratching at an itch on the back of his neck. "You come very highly reccommended; Michael specifically mentioned you when I spoke to him about the possibility of regaining my sight. He asserted that it would be very easy."
|
|
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
|
Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 17, 2010 20:40:34 GMT -5
Ellie smiled. Ah, Michael.
"Well... here, sit down and I'll see what I can do for you, sir." She reached out and took his hand, leading him to perch on one of the cots.
"Try to keep your head still. This will buzz in your sinuses a bit, but it's best if you don't twitch."
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 17, 2010 20:43:32 GMT -5
Aodh smiled and nodded, keeping his other hand in Rivienne's and gently pulling her along with him. He wanted her to be one of the first things he saw -- the first would no doubt be Ellie herself.
On an impulse he shut his eyes after getting settled down on the cot. He wasn't sure how light it was in the room, and he didn't want to hurt his eyes so soon after having them healed.
|
|
|
Post by Rivienne Volkova on Sept 18, 2010 18:02:19 GMT -5
She'd watched Ellie work many times, and seen her cure much more life-threatening ailments than what she would be attempting today, but never anything so miraculous. No matter how accustomed Rivienne had become to magic, it never ceased to amaze her what magic wondrous things could accomplished by magic. It made her yearn for a time when magic would no longer have to be kept secret, because of magic could do this for Aodh, what could it do for others?
Rivienne took her seat quietly beside the cot, her hand never leaving the other professor's. "Are you nervous?" she asked softly.
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 18, 2010 18:16:32 GMT -5
Aodh smiled, giving Rivienne's hand a bit of a squeeze. "Not a bit."
He sat still, breathing slowly and deeply to stay relaxed, waiting for Ellie to begin healing him and growing increasingly curious about what it would feel like. He wondered if it would hurt at all, but he imagined Ellie might take care of that too.
|
|
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
|
Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 20, 2010 14:21:14 GMT -5
Ellie formed a little concave lense of magic over Aodh's retinas, shielding them from any light entering his eyes, regardless of the fact that his eyes were closed. It was a precaution she chose to take that doubled as a sort of channel for her magic to explore the causes behind the professor's blindness.
She inspected the retina itself, first. There was no damage there. On to the optic nerve itself, which seemed off somehow, to Ellie's senses. It was twisted in an odd fashion, like an antenna that had been knocked off of a roof.
Ellie's magic resonated between her hands and Aodh's skull as she formed the force into intricate threads, binding them together until they showed in her mind's eye as delicate fingers, which she used to unknot and coax the nerve back into shape. It resisted at first, like a stubborn tangle, but Ellie worked with the nerve fibers with all the care of a knife-and-scalpel surgery. The process itself took quite some time. Ellie's hands soon began to shake, but she used reserves of her magic to keep Aodh calm and still. If her magic slipped and something went wrong, it wouldn't be just Aodh's eyes that would be permanently damaged.
At length, Ellie sighed and pulled away from the man. She let the lenses on his retinas dissolve and brushed a hand through his hair to reign back any dregs of anesthetic magic. She cupped her hand over his brow like a visor, shielding his eyes from the overhead lights as she spoke, softly, "Professor Breannan? Try opening your eyes, if you will."
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 20, 2010 14:44:42 GMT -5
Aodh sat calm and still as Ellie worked on healing his eyes, feeling his head start to buzz and attributing it to her magic -- he'd felt the same after being cursed. He felt a strange tickling and tugging sensation just behind his eyes, which extended back into his head and a short way down his spine. He had to wonder just what Ellie was doing back there.
The minutes ticked by, and Aodh continued to sit calm and still. Oddly enough, he didn't feel at all sore, even though he'd been sitting in the same position for quite some time. It must have been at least an hour already. He kept his eyes closed, just waiting in silence.
Eventually he felt the bulk of Ellie's magic pull away from him, though the buzzing effect lingered. He felt Ellie running a hand through his hair and then putting a hand to his forehead, at the same time as he noticed the slightest suggestion of color; a dark red took the place of the blackness in his sight -- a small amount of light coming through his closed eyelids. He smiled when Ellie spoke, and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a woman's face leaning close to his, looking intently into his eyes. This must be Ellie. His smile widened as he took in the details of her face, marvelling at every color. The warm, pinkish-peach of her skin, the captivating bright blue of her eyes, the soft rose of her lips and the earthy reddish-brown of her curling hair. She was quite lovely, as lovely as her voice sounded.
"It's good to see you, Doctor," he said with a laugh.
|
|
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
|
Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Sept 20, 2010 14:57:36 GMT -5
Ellie had been focused on making sure that Aodh's pupils dilated and contracted correctly. Reassured, she beamed at him when he spoke. She felt a rush of happiness swell her chest-- She had reversed blindness!
She found herself laughing along with him. "Why, hello there, Professor," she chirruped brightly. She was positively giddy; relieved and a bit light-headed, she allowed herself to take a few steps backward and perch on the edge of her desk.
"Is everything registering alright? Can you focus correctly?"
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 20, 2010 17:03:56 GMT -5
"Everything seems fine," Aodh answered her brightly, testing how well he could focus on things both near and far from him. Satisfied that all seemed well, he finally turned to look at Rivienne, unable to hide his grin of excitement and joy.
She was every bit as beautiful as he had imagined. Her hair was a bright gold, falling in loose curls to just below her shoulders; her skin was fair, similar to Ellie's; and her eyes... her eyes were a beautiful deep purple, like irises. Aodh's smile widened, and he squeezed Rivienne's hand, which he still held.
"It's good to finally see you too, Rivienne," he said softly.
|
|
|
Post by Rivienne Volkova on Sept 28, 2010 20:52:12 GMT -5
Rivienne sat silently throughout the procedure, her hand resting comfortingly in Aodh's. Though she couldn't see what Ellie was doing, she could almost sense it. The ease with which Ellie worked soothed her worries. Strange as it was, she found it fascinating -- there was no blood, no incision, nothing, and yet she worked with an efficiency and speed that the most renown surgeons would envy.
When at last Aodh opened his eyes, there was a sudden sharpness to his gaze that had not been there before, a sudden comprehension.
Rivienne gave a soft sigh of relief, a smile touching her lips, as she tightened her fingers around Aodh's. She couldn't even begin to express just how happy she was for him.
"Miraculous," she murmured. "How do you feel?"
|
|
Aodh Breannan
Ireth
Bio Prof. Not Actually A Bat
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.
Posts: 58
|
Post by Aodh Breannan on Sept 28, 2010 21:12:16 GMT -5
"Better than I've felt in far too long," Aodh answered honestly. Very few things could possibly improve upon his mood right now. Now if only his curse were broken, he could live a normal life again... but that would have to wait until the summer. It wasn't too far away now.
He looked all around the room, feeling like he'd been born again. He was seeing his new home for the first time; he knew it by his other senses, but this brought a sense of complete newness and wonder to the whole place. He couldn't wait to get out and about the castle again, and see everyone for the first time. Flushed with excitement, he turned back to Ellie, positively beaming.
"I can't possibly thank you enough, Doctor. It's like you've handed me the world."
|
|