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[notayoungkitten]

A fine place this is.

I'd say I'm used to it, but honestly, the barracks I used to sleep in were still less of a hellhole even in wartime. Who has been here the longest? I have some questions for you.

Those who have been here a shorter time may answer as well, if you know the answers.

What sort of place is this? I am sure we have all received the same letter, but I can't help find it slightly odd.

How many people are in this place currently, and how many working on civilian defense are there?

And finally, is anyone here a doctor?

Comments

[notayoungkitten]

[Her face is stoney as she speaks.]

A freak accident. Nothing more.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[A flicker of disappointment crosses Richtofen's face. He holds out his hand, palm up.]

Come now, let me see it. [Almost as an afterthought, he adds:] If I know how it happened, I'll be able to tell you the likelihood of it getting infected.

[notayoungkitten]

[She extends her hand.]

It was a clean cut with a blade.

A Japanese katana.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Richtofen grabs her forearm a few inches above her wrist. He's not exactly gentle, but he doesn't grip her too hard, either.]

Mm, what a strange accident that must have been. [He hums under his breath, but moves away from that topic quickly.] How long did you say it's been since this has been bandaged up?

[notayoungkitten]

[She shrugs.]

A few hours. No more than six, I'd say.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Richtofen tugs lightly at the edges of her bandages, looking entirely focused on the stump itself.]

I'll replace them for you after I finish your examination, then.

[notayoungkitten]

Of course.

[The stump has been sewn together rather haphazardly, but there's no sign of fresh blood, at least. Considering the amount of veins and tendons in her forearm, it's a miracle she didn't bleed out.

Yet here she is, walking around incredibly soon after such a major injury.]

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Richtofen gives a low whistle when he sees the wound. He places the old bandages on the counter beside him (okay, maybe it's not the most sterile thing to do, but he doesn't seem to care at the moment), and turns her wrist over to examine it from every angle.]

What a wound! [He balls his free hand into a fist and holds it to his mouth, clearing his throat.] That is, well... It is stunning that you aren't bedridden right now! There must have been so much blood! [Behind his hand, he mutters:] Oh, so much...

[He was doing so good on the "acting sane" front today, and now this. He tries, he truly does.]

[notayoungkitten]

[She raises a brow at him, curious. She certainly has experience working with madmen, and fortunately chooses not to comment on how oddly excited he seems, though she doesn't hear the muttering.]

Indeed. Fortunate that I was able to get bandaged up in time.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[He clears his throat again, a bit more hastily this time.]

Ja, very lucky indeed. Er, now then... [He seems to get himself back on track, looking over the wound again.] It doesn't look like you have blood poisoning - not at an advanced enough stage for me to detect it on sight, anyway. Have you experienced any cold chills since you've been patched up?

[notayoungkitten]

[She shakes her head.]

Not at all, no.

[doctor_dismemberment]

Any unusual pains? Symptoms of a cold?

[He keeps a hold of her wrist with one hand, and with the other, grabs a disinfectant cloth from the supplies he'd laid out on the counter.]

[notayoungkitten]

[She shakes her head.]

No, nothing like that. There is some amount of pain, but not any more than when my hand was first removed.

[doctor_dismemberment]

Sehr gut. It doesn't seem like there's an infection, but keep an eye on it. If there is any unusual redness, swelling, or pus, or if you feel like you may be coming down with the flu, let me know, ja?

[As he speaks, he swipes the cloth over the area around the wound. Again, he's not needlessly rough, but he isn't being as gentle as he could be.]

[notayoungkitten]

[The roughness doesn't bother her, but it does make her curious about him. Not so curious as to start to pry, but it's enough to make her interested in just what sort of doctor he actually is.

A standard medical doctor he is clearly not.]

I will be sure to keep in touch with you, yes.

[doctor_dismemberment]

Excellent.

[He finishes wiping the wound down, then grabs the bandages he'd laid out. In smooth, practiced motions, he wraps the bandage around her stump in a sort of figure-eight motion. He does this in silence for a moment, but then, almost out of nowhere, he chuckles.]

You know, all of this is going a lot smoother than it used to back during the war. All of the infections I had to deal with, oh, it was- [He starts to sound a bit too upbeat about that, so he tones it down a notch.] ...Well, I'm glad medical science has come a long way since then.

[notayoungkitten]

[She'll most certainly have to try and find information about this man. Just the same, she's grateful for the look-over, even if she's rather suspicious of the man.]

Indeed.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Finally, Richtofen finishes up, securing her bandages firmly. He sits back, flashing a smile up at her.]

There you go, all finished. Make sure you keep an eye on it, und come find me if you feel under the weather. I work here, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find me.

[While his tone seems casual enough on the surface, there's a slight edge to it that makes it seem like a false kind of friendliness, as if he's reading lines off of some invisible script.

But that could just be a trick of the ear, right?]

[notayoungkitten]

[She still notices the edge, but shrugs it off. Whatever it is with him, she an handle it.]

I shall be sure to. Thank you.

[doctor_dismemberment]

Gern geschehen. [He gives a sharp nod, then turns to begin cleaning up the old bandages.] You're free to go now.

[notayoungkitten]

[She nods sharply, getting up to leave.]

My thanks.

[doctor_dismemberment]

[He nods, but doesn't reply, concentrating on his task of cleaning everything up. He doesn't even spare her another glance.]