[PRP] testing, testing! 1 2 3 ! [ veikel + brenley

[houllow]

This time, this time he was pretty sure he had the correct balance. Just enough of each that he was pretty sure there wouldn't be side effects. Maybe. Probably.

Would it be wrong of him to try and find someone to help him test it? Like, maybe not on themselves but, uh, maybe to help him out somehow? Slowly, Veikel ventured out and looked around, wondering if he could catch anyone walking by who happened to have some free time on their hands.

And free hands.  

[Smerdle]

Even though he had only stood for a handful of hatchings and hadn't been seriously injured at any of them, Brenley was still aware of Veikel's presence and occupation. He was only tangentially interested in poultices and the like (and notoriously bad at reading people), but the healer was giving off vibes even Bren could pick up. He needed help. Or maybe Veikel had finally snapped and was looking to kill someone while no one was looking. Either way, the candidate was intrigued enough to pause.

"Is something wrong?"

houllow

 

[houllow]

Veikel's face lit up like a basket of glows as a victimvolunteer approached, and he grinned brightly. He didn't really know the young man - he thought his name might be Bradley? Branden? Brent - whatever - but he could at least say he knew the face.

The name too, probably, but right this tickmark he was just happy someone was talking to him. The grin only got bigger when Brantmey started talking and slowly the healer made his way over, almost vibrating with excitement. "Nothing's wrong, not really. I was hoping to find someone willing to help me out with something."

There was heavy emphasis that Veikel hoped this candidate would help him. It wasn't like this was dangerous or anything - Veikel had painfully learned that lesson and was not in the mood to hear it from the choir that were all the other healers were he to mess up.

Again.

"I need an extra pair of hands." There was a pause and he reached and pulled at what looked to be a blue object around his neck. Whatever it was made a soft noise of surprise and upset. "H..human hands, preferably."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Tired blue eyes tracked the healer's movements as he stepped closer and unraveled something—a scarf? a toy? a flit?—from around his neck, his face nearly split in two by his creepy smile. It was to be murder, then. Bren swallowed. No. Just... a behanding?

"Human hands? I... um... will they still work when you put them back on?"

houllow

 

[houllow]

"What?" What? "Back - o...oh for Faranth's sake." A candle was lit in Veikel's mind all of a sudden and his grin faltered, only to be replaced with a smirk that turned into a belly laugh. The hand that had been tugging at the blue around his neck moved to cover his mouth as his shoulder shook, and sure enough - a tiny blue firelizard peeped its way from beneath his hair and out to his side. It looked balefully at the candidate before popping off Between.

"Y..you....you thought I was going to cut your hands off? Me? Of all healers?" Honestly Veikel didn't know if he should be flattered or not, be he did know he needed to stop laughing. If this Brittney ran off he'd be without help and back to skulking around apparently looking like he was going to dismember someone.

A few coughs did have him clearing up, and he shook his head. The grin was replaced with an honest and happy smile, though Veikel did have to wipe the corner of his eyes a bit. "Sorry if I scared you, what I meant to say was I need help with something that requires an extra set of hands. I can't do it on my own, and while I normally have my firelizards help they're not much use for what I need to do."

He fished into one of the large pouches he had on his hip and pulled out several jars, all full of what looked like different liquids or semi-solids. "Are you willing to lend a hand?"

Smerdle

IT WAS TO BE MURDER

 

[Smerdle]

Well... he wasn't going to admit he was disappointed over something so grotesquely morbid, but... there it was. If anyone could remove and reattach hands it would be healers, and Bren could admit to himself that he kind of wanted to see that. At least he had made the man laugh. He hadn't made someone laugh in a long time, and even then, it hadn't been voluntarily. Some things never changed.

"Yes, I'm willing. Show me where you need me to be, I guess." He tilted his head slightly, aiming to get a better look at the jars. "You say your firelizards help with your salves and things? Was it difficult to train them to do so?"

houllow

:D

 

[houllow]

"They can't really do any super fancy work, but they usually can carry things for me or hold stuff in place if I ask." Veikel glanced at the empty spot where the blue had been, as if the little creature was still lurking. Knowing Bandage he probably was, but somewhere out of sight. "Tiny little claws aren't good for rubbing things though, so that's where your hands come in. I'd like you to wash my hair for me."

He paused and thought about it. "Or let me wash your hair, whichever. Or you can wash your own and let me watch, or you can watch me wash mine. Either way, hair is going to be washed."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

His mouth made a vague 'wah' shape as he almost repeated Veikel's final word. Wash his hair. Bren didn't think he had ever received such an odd request. He stood still and silent for longer than was probably socially acceptable or comfortable, eyes faintly narrowed, before he said,

"This is for scientific purposes?" It had to be, otherwise why did the healer need someone to watch? "I suppose I accept. As either washer or washee."

houllow

 

[houllow]

"Really? Oh man, thank you so much!" Veikel's face grew happier and gentle, and his eyes narrowed as his smile turned soft. "I suppose you could say it's for specific reasons, but really I just was messing around and made something new.
Isn't it more fun to try things out with someone else?" He was entirely less likely to get in trouble if someone else was there with him and he had full permission, right? "If you'd like I can wash your hair first? Or it might be better to wash mine first. I do have some gloves you can wear too, if you're against touching someone's head directly...."

He probably wasn't making this sound less dramatic or dangerous when all it involved was literally washing hair. With shampoo he'd made himself using different mixtures of things in an effort to see if he could make hair shiny.

Veikel had weird priorities sometimes but right now this was okay.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"You're... welcome?" A smile, genuine and small, touched Bren's features at Veikel's excitement. This was still the strangest thing anyone had ever asked him to do. Maybe he needed to get out more. Or maybe thinking about it from a different angle could help. After all, he had been on board for having his hands cut off not five minutes ago. Yes. This was all perfectly normal.

"I think you should probably wash mine first." He nodded. "I can provide a running commentary, or just take notes. Whichever you prefer."

houllow

 

[houllow]

Someone who was willing to go first was even better than Veikel could have ever expected, and the healer motioned for the young man to follow him. He didn't exactly have an entire area set up for things, as Veikel hadn't even been sure he would succeed at finding someone willing to lend a hand (or two), but thankfully there was an area with suitable sitting space. A small chair with a back for leaning, plenty of open space and sunshine in case things went horribly wrong.

"Go ahead and grab a seat, I'm going to go get a bucket of water so we can get your hair wet." There was a pause as Veikel thought through the logistic, and he nodded as though confirming an entire conversation with himself. "Actually, I'll be back with two. Make yourself comfortable while you wait. If you want a snack or a drink, just say "Tea" out loud and then what it is you want."

Leaving behind that vague and faintly ominous suggestion, Veikel moved off to get the goods before his test subvolunteer decided to change his mind.

Smerdle

do it. u know u wanna see what happens

 

[Smerdle]

With a nod, Bren watched as Veikel wandered away for water. For a minute or so he did nothing more than stand still, not out of any sort of malignant intent, but just because his mind had wandered away and he was comforted by the silence. But he would always be a curious young man, so when he came back to himself, he slowly took a seat, straightening his spine and placing his hands on his thighs, palms up.

"Tea? Plain, please."

houllow

he do

 

[houllow]

Right on cue, there was a soft pop as a tiny green firelizard popped out from Between. She chirped at the young man before coming down and landing on his upstretched hands, eyes whirling beautiful shades of blue at him. A tilt of the head and another chirp followed, as if to ask 'plain what?'.

Clearly he wanted something since he'd called her, but the flitter had no idea what 'plain' was!

Smerdle

u summoned her be amused

 

[Smerdle]

Oh, tea. Capital Tea.

"Hello," he said, smiling ever so faintly at the flit in his hands. "You're very charming, aren't you?" He had been debating seeking out a firelizard egg of his own, and considering how well trained these last few he'd met had been, he was certain now that he would make a trade with the next salesman he came across.

"I, um, don't really want anything, now that I know you're not a drink. Would you like me to pet you?"

houllow

 

[houllow]

The little green flitter churred with approval at the compliments, eyes rolling a merry green mixed with flecks of purple. She certainly seemed to approve of his request as well, moving so that her head and eye ridges could be easily stroked without the man having to move so much. Tea was perhaps best trained for affection and was going to show off the fruits of those labors.

Meanwhile her devoted handler was finding out that carrying three buckets at a time was a ridiculously ambitious endeavor, as his soaked through pant leg and shoe served to remind him. The blue flitter who accompanied him only cheeped nervous unhappiness from his perch about Veikel's shoulders and neck; his tiny attempts to help carry a bucket had also ended in him being soaked and bitterly unhappy.

But Tea knew nothing of this and cared little, as she was getting affections!

Smerdle