Night 65: O.R. Supply Room (South)

[gald_digger]

[from here]

This was it! Anise's face lit up soon after she entered, her flashlight illuminating cabinets and trays filled with surgical supplies. This was exactly what they were looking for! For a moment, she was scared they were going to run out of time before finding anything, and Anise definitely didn't want to show up empty-handed when they regrouped with Guy and Claude.

"We found it!" she cried with joy, hurrying over to get a good look at the items they could swipe.

... And then her mood dropped. Looking at all those sharp blade, twisted metal tools, forceps of about a dozen different sizes... just imagining those creepy-looking tools being used to cut her open and poke around inside was enough to make her stomach churn. She swallowed hard, trying to push away that sudden apprehension. "W-well, let's get started! Grab anything that looks useful." She set the pillowcase down in the center of the room, so they could both toss in whatever they found.

Comments

[dispersive]

Well, it certainly had more cabinets to snoop through than the last room, he would give her that. Closing the door behind them, Luke hoped they contained everything Anise was hoping they would.

"Alright!" Oblivious to her sudden bout of reluctance, the young man did as he was told and took control of one series of drawers beside his friend. The illumination from his flashlight reflected his face in every shiny, pristine metal tool that was carefully placed in a neat row.

So, he was supposed to gather them... But which ones? All of them? Confusion was starting to morph into frustration as the redhead's mouth grew lopsided from an oncoming frown. "What do these things even do?" He had no clue. The sharp knives, though, he knew what those were used for. How many would they need? Would three be enough? Neither of them knew! And they didn't exactly have all night to ponder these unknowable questions! Augh! He needed to just make a decision.

Groaning in frustration, the replica just took the entire tray of utensils and dropped it into the bag behind him. "Okay, next!" But unfortunately, he had the same problem with the second drawer he opened. Did a doctor really need all of these props? Luke was skeptical.

[gald_digger]

Luke was checking out the metal tools, which Anise was happy to leave him to. She decided to take a look at one of the cabinets instead. Opening it, she found a row of bottles, some thin bags, and a collection of small tubes.

“Is this… medicine?” she wondered as she picked up a few bottles, turning them over in her hands. They all had weird, long names that Anise didn’t think she could even pronounce right. But when she looked at the smaller print… “Oh! They’re ana… anaesthetics! I wonder if we can use any of these… it looks kind of complicated.” With the bags and tubes and needles and masks, she wasn’t sure where to begin, and using one wrong could be seriously dangerous. But wouldn’t it be nice to go through surgery without much pain?

The more she thought about the surgery itself, the more nauseous and light-headed she felt. Running around while sick probably wasn’t helping much, either. Maybe taking a break soon would be a good idea.

[dispersive]

"So, what, do you just sniff them?" He knew that there were some chemicals that could knock you out for a few hours. Certainly magic was easier and less nauseating, but it didn't look like that was going to be a reliable option anymore.

"Are they heavy?" Luke asked, getting up off his knees and walking back behind Anise to get a look for himself. "Maybe we can just grab a few..." Guy would probably know what to do. Or--Damn, he didn't say this often, but it was be real nice if Jade was here. There! he said it, moving on!

[gald_digger]

"I'm... not sure. The bottles aren't that big, but there's all this equipment. I guess some are like... a gas? And you use a needle for the others." But figuring out the right dosage could be a problem. Anise didn't want to end up going into a sleep she'd never wake up from.

Luke was suggesting they take some anyway, and Anise had to agree. "Maybe someone can figure it out." She picked up one of each bottle, and carried them in her arms as she made her way back to the sack she'd left in the middle of the room.

And that was when her body finally gave in to the fever and fatigue she had been trying to ignore all evening. Before she even realized what was happening, Anise dropped to her knees, the bottles slipping from her arms and clattering against the floor. None broke, fortunately, but a few rolled away from her as she tried to steady herself. Her eyes were unfocused, and everything around her was a blur.

[dispersive]

"Yeah, I mean we--Anise!" Luke was glad he had moved closer when he did. As she fell, scattering the bottles with her, the replica squatted down and placed her his hands on her shoulders to steady her. It would really suck if she kept falling and knocked her head on the hard floor.

"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question, but he wasn't sure what else to say. This close to her, though, he could feel the excessive heat wafting up from her feverish skin. Luke brought his left hand to her forehead and pressed his cool palm against it. She was burning up! "Is it your cold? M-Maybe! Maybe you should lie down--Or put your head between your legs!" Unfortunately, he didn't know what the proper procedure for a fever was besides a bed and some broth. Neither of those things were exactly handy at this moment.

[gald_digger]

For a moment, Anise was terrified that she'd run out of time, that she was going to change and everything would be over. But as the moments passed, her head grew a little clearer, and she became aware of Luke's hand on her forehead. Though she felt weak and her stomach still hurt, her condition didn't seem to be getting any worse. She was still okay. There was still time.

"I'm okay," she answered once she was reasonably sure of that. "I think I'm going to sit down for a bit." Luke probably wouldn't argue with that. Slowly and carefully, Anise shifted her body around so that she was sitting with her legs pulled in front of her and her arms draped over her knees, allowing her to lean forward.

It was frightening for her body to be this frail, especially when she'd always been in such good health before. Was this what things were like for Ion, back when they were traveling around Auldrant together?

"You should keep gathering supplies," she added after a short silence. While Anise didn't want to make him do all the work, it was probably better to finish their task soon than to wait for her to recover. There was only so much time in the night.

[dispersive]

Luke wasn't so sure he was buying Anise's bravado. She didn't look okay and the heat coming off her hadn't dissipate since he'd touched her. But, in the end, he gave her some space so she could sit comfortably while he fidgeted in worry.

It didn't surprise him when she changed the focus back on their mission instead of her health. The redhead wanted to tell her that a bunch of metal and bottles was not worth fainting over, but then who was he to make that decision for her? If they didn't do it tonight, they would have to do it the next night and then it could be too late! Anise was right; they couldn't just stop when her health and the health of others was at stake.

"Okay," he finally relented, scooting his butt across the tile and back to his drawers. "But if you need something, tell me, okay?" For now, it was all he could do for her. Luke didn't like it, but scowling wasn't solving anything. He wrangled up the bottles Anise had dropped and put them in her bag, along with what remained in the drawers.

There were three separate sets of drawers on the mobile carts, but they were virtually all the same and it seemed cruel to empty this place out when others were probably looking for tools as well.

"I think that's it." The replica turned his attention back to Anise, hoping a little rest had made her a bit more stable. "You, uhm, ready to go?"

[gald_digger]

Anise stayed where she was, idly watching Luke go about his work while waiting for her strength to come back. When he declared he was finished, Anise lifted her head away from her knees, then slowly climbed back up to her feet. She was a bit wobbly, but she didn't feel so dizzy anymore.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She picked up her weapon and flashlight, but left the bag. It was probably best to leave that to Luke this time. It'd be bad if she dropped it and broke something important.

"I think we have everything we need, but... should we check out that other storage room anyway?" Maybe it was unnecessary, and maybe they'd run out of time first, but it was probably worth a try.

[dispersive]

Anise seemed capable enough, but he couldn't help standing behind her just in case she needed an extra pair of hands to keep her on her feet. But, of course, his friend was much stronger than she looked. She always was, and in more ways than himself.

"Right." Luke didn't need to be told to take charge of their supplies. He picked them up easily enough, trying to keep himself from being poked or cut by the metal utensils that lined the bulging sack. Maybe he should have put them in some kind of container, but it was a little late for that now. Perhaps there would be something useful in the storage room for that. Since Anise was the navigator of their little operation, he followed her lead out of the room and he couldn't be more grateful. "Let's get out of here." This place gave him the willies sooo bad!