[open] It's strange, the things you remember.

[beautifullies]

Who: Claire Fraser and you, all of you!
Where: A network post + the clinic, greenhouse, library, and grounds
When: Beginning of August!
Rating: Can't see it being more than a low-grade PG, will change or content warn if needed.
Notes: Brackets or prose, will match!
Summary: Claire is setting out to make sure Wonderland is covered medically.
The Story:

The Clinic ☤

[ As far as Claire is aware based on previous conversations, there is only one person fully available at nearly any time in the clinic. It's not fair to the young woman to carry all of that burden, so as soon as Claire finds it, she begins taking stock of what's there. It's neatly organized at least and has everything she would expect plus more she'll have to become more familiar with. Still, she knows what she's working with now and she finds an empty space that could serve as an office (did it simply appear because it was needed? She can't imagine a clinic simply having an empty room that isn't at least storage) and manages a desk and chair, plus a pen. Then, she sets out to write a list of names, people who have agreed to be of assistance should something happen and they need someone in an emergency. Like 999 for situations when the closets won't readily give what's needed or immediate magical healing is required.

There will be, she assumes, instances when magic won't work altogether, and she hopes there's enough variation to cover all her bases. Still, she writes out:

Mikan
Anders
Regis
Souji
Minato
Josuke
Olivia Moore

All people - excluding herself - who rely on magic, save for Olivia, Mikan and Regis as far as she knows. So, with that, she sends a network message. ]

video;

Hello, Wonderland. I've attached a list of names to this message for people who have volunteered to be emergency contacts should the need for healing arise. However, I would like to see if anyone else would be interested, specifically non-magical healers. As we experienced with the last event, magic isn't always working or at full power, and the closets may not give us the medical supplies we need. If you're interested, please let me know either via return message or by coming to the clinic. I'll be here for a little while today.

Also, anyone interested in learning some home remedies or what to do if someone's injured or ill and there are no medical supplies or magic on hand is free to let me know. I know more than one person has expressed interest already, and honestly, in a place like this, you can never tell what knowledge might come in useful.



Greenhouse/Grounds/Garden ✿

[ She's on a mission now to find out what grows native to Wonderland, what's already growing in the greenhouse, and what she might simply have to ask the closets for. She'll likely start seedlings of things if it feels prudent, but she needs to start somewhere. The last time she'd started this expedition she'd been distracted by a new arrival and now she's back at it with a basket on her arm. In said basket she already has common yarrow, hollyhock, marigolds, and jasmine. Claire's also walking with a notepad and pencil, making notes of things she knows are common (garlic, aloe vera) that she doesn't see. She also has jars that, when she finds fresh spider webs, become the thread's new home. ]

Library ✍

[ Claire tells herself she isn't here to look up the Battle of Culloden. And she's successful for the most part. She's come for specific books, stacking them up on a table nearby once she finds the section she's looking for: anything and everything on continuing medical education, modern medicine, herbal medicine, and medical technology as it has evolved. She's going to learn, she's going to teach herself, and she's determined. She knows there are things she can't possibly perfect without the aid of medical school, but she can at least learn more. And who knows; perhaps a skilled doctor will arrive one day who can show her how to do such things.

She wasn't going to attempt to look up her husband, not with him in Wonderland now.

When she was done she should have left immediately, but instead, she's found herself standing in front of books that could tell her Jamie's exact fate if they're that accurate. He doesn't know, even asking him point blank, and perhaps only a fool would want to find out, but she knows she'd do it anyway, that'd she would try to know if she could. Reaching out, she touches a book titled Culloden, 1746: Battlefield Guide and closes her eyes. She shouldn't, she knows it, and so she stands there, torn, hand on the book, eyes closed and trying to will herself away. ]

Comments

Clinic!

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji hears Claire's message and rather than respond, he just heads down to the clinic. He comes bearing cookies, because he has met very few people who don't like cookies, and most of them didn't like them because they couldn't eat them.

He steps inside and peers around. It's been awhile since he's come in here and it looks a bit different.]

Claire?

[beautifullies]

[ Claire looks up and searches her mind for the right name before smiling. ]

Souji. How are you?

[ She puts her pen down to give him her full attention. And she very much does like cookies. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[He comes over and offers the cookies to her.]

I figured I'd come see if you'd teach me something about what you do.

[beautifullies]

I'm always happy to teach anyone willing to learn.

[ Taking a cookie, she thanks him and bites into it, only speaking when she's done with her mouthful. ]

These are wonderful. Any time you'd like to bring treats, please feel free.

[ She's teasing a bit, then goes to her desk again and gestures to a basket overflowing with plant life. ]

I was just going to start the process of getting all of these ready for drying. The garden really does have quite a lot. Whoever curates it, if anyone does, has planted very useful things.

[eatsyourscience]

Thanks. Any time you need a break, the diner's always open.

[Once she's taken a cookie, Souji sets the rest down on a surface that doesn't look like it ought to be sterile. Then he follows Claire back to the desk and peers at the plants.]

That's good. [In a pinch, they know they have a fresh source.]

I don't know what any of them are.

[beautifullies]

[ Claire rummages through a stack of books until she finds one called The Way of Herbs and hands it over to him. ]

This may help. Now that I know what it's called I'll simply get a copy from the closet. This one's from the library. From what I've gathered here, the most common issues are going to be bleeding. If the closets don't work, there has to be a way to clot wounds and bandage them.

[ She pauses for a second, considering the effort. ]

I realize if people die they'll return, but who truly wants to die?

[ Especially if someone could save them? ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Having died three times, Souji can easily say:] No one.

[He holds the book and opens it, flipping through a few pages. He's relieved to see there are plenty of pictures.]

I know a little first aid, like putting pressure on wounds and bandaging things. Little things like that. But I don't really know what to do if the closets aren't working.

[beautifullies]

[ It still irks her that one of the first responses she received about this was someone criticizing her on the network. It shouldn't, and perhaps to that person it didn't matter. But it matters to her to know what to do if Wonderland truly goes belly up for some reason. She's glad it matters to others as well. ]

Well, let me share something that I didn't know until recently back home that changed my perspective on spiders.

[ She reaches for a sealed mason jar that has sticky webbing inside. ]

Spider webs make for an excellent natural treatment for healing cuts and scrapes. They must be fresh, not collected with dust so it can't be any old cobweb. But they help to stop the bleeding.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji peers into the mason jar. His surprise is clear on his face, but then his expression turns thoughtful.]

That makes sense. It would help blood to clot--give the cells something to stick to.

[It is definitely a game-changer in terms of the favorability rating of spiders as far as Souji is concerned. Not that he particularly disliked spiders, but it made them look a lot more helpful.]

Then it just becomes a matter of there being spider web around.

[beautifullies]

It does, so I went on a hunt. Luckily, time doesn't move. Which means fresh webs don't age.

[ Claire sits back, almost takes another cookie, then decides against it for now. ]

I'm afraid I've never been a teacher before. I've been a leader, but not this. I can start with basic herbs like garlic and rosemary to tell you what they can do, or we can go straight into plants. Whatever you'd like, Souji.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji wonders where those spiders are--he's never noticed any before--and decides he should go looking for them. There are so few "wild" creatures in Wonderland that it would be quite novel to see some.]

Hm. Let's start with the herbs? That seems like it would be good to know first.

[He's pretty sure he can identify at least a few herbs--other plants might be more difficult.]

[beautifullies]

[ #magic????? ]

Herbs, of the fresh variety, were used as medicine long before they were used as seasoning, though they often went hand in hand. Some medical uses were valid, but others...well. Other were quite questionable. Garlic, you know of, I'm sure? It benefits the heart. Hippocrates gave it to men to increase their strength and it was quite by accident that it was found to reduce the chances of a second heart attack when eaten regularly.

[ Claire's afraid she's too lecture-y; she's very aware of how bored she always became when Frank went on and on about history - even if what she retained has helped her immensely. ]

If there's a situation that causes blood pressure to rise and no medication is available, raw garlic would help for the short term.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji is not in the least bored by the lecture. He listens and wonders if he should be taking notes.]

What kind of situation would cause blood pressure to rise?

[He can imagine something stressful would, but that's not a very specific scenario.]

[beautifullies]

High levels of stress, which could be any single event, honestly. But it would most commonly happen to someone with a pre-existing heart condition. Someone with high blood pressure or has had a heart attack. It may not come up often, but it could be necessary to know.

[ But on to something that could be more useful. She points to a photo in a book of a plant. ]

This is aloe. I don't know how common it is in other worlds. Could you tell me if you've heard of it and what it can help with?

[ It's not a quiz, she just generally doesn't know if this plant (or any she's familiar with) are common in other places. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji wouldn't have minded even if it were a quiz. He's used to people asking him questions like he's going to get extra credit at life or something if he gets the right answer.

He peers at the picture, nodding. He recognizes the name.]

I've never seen the actual plant, but I've seen stuff made from it. It's supposed to be good for burns, right?

[beautifullies]

Yes, precisely. If it's not already growing in the greenhouse, I'd like to get some started right away. I believe it might get the most use, as I've seen at least one fire since being here already. Opium poppies as well.

[ She shows him a photo of the flower. ]

Most people, in fact, I'd say a great majority of people, won't realize this can be used as a sedative.

[eatsyourscience]

Opium? Yeah, people use it for that in my world.

[Not so much these days, but historically.]

I have a feeling that it's probably less potent in that form, though.

[beautifullies]

Your feeling is correct, but when performing surgeries I believe 'something is better than nothing' would be the correct turn of phrase.

[ She's certainly done her fair share of amputating limbs, knowing that even being a little out of it can help. If anything it makes memories fuzzy later and that can be a relief. ]

I'd like to plant things like elderberry. It's good for colds and the flu, though I wonder how often people come down with ailments like that. Do you know?

[eatsyourscience]

[He nods at her getting the turn of phrase right, but winces, just a little, at the thought of doing surgery with only opium.]

Not often, if ever. But who knows what events will cause.

[For all they know, there will be an event that entirely consists of everyone having a cold.]

What does elderberry do that it can treat those?

[beautifullies]

If people don't commonly fall ill here, then it may not be high priority. But syrup of elderberry eases respiratory problems and helps break up mucous. There are other things too, but cold and flu symptoms are the most common uses. It can be tricky, though - pick the wrong variation of berry and you wind up with poison.

[eatsyourscience]

It feels like that's the case with a lot of medicinal plants. I don't know that much about it, but I've read a few things that make it seem like it would take years to know the difference between the "good" and the "bad."

[beautifullies]

[ Claire nods in confirmation, bringing a hand to the back of her neck. ]

That's true. Mushrooms are a common problem area, but I don't think we'll have a problem with that, here.

[ A pause. ]

Aside from whatever Wonderland already has growing, and I'm fairly certain we'd consider the effects...mind altering but not quite harmful, by today's standards.

[eatsyourscience]

That sounds a little like some of the milder events. [He smiles just a little to show he's joking--it's sometimes hard to tell with him.] Mind altering, but not quite harmful.

[beautifullies]

[ Claire lets herself chuckle at that, able to find the humor in what he says. ]

Unless Wonderland decides to be particularly cruel, though I haven't had a chance to experience that yet. My hope is that I'm over-preparing myself, but my instinct tells me I may not be in the worst of circumstances.

[eatsyourscience]

I don't think you can ever over-prepare here. [He can speak from the perspective of experience on that.] Especially if you try to make the scope of your preparation broad.

[Knowing about herbs and plants will definitely be useful, but even in case they aren't available, other medical knowledge will still be useful.]