tushanshu_logs | (no subject)

Characters: Simon Tam and YOU
Date: Throughout the month of May
Location: Various, see headers
Situation: A monthly catchall for Simon Tam. If you'd like to do brackets rather than prose, I will match.
Warnings/Rating: None for right now

Healer's Guild

Simon had tried as hard as he could to stay out of the current fuss involving Milyn. He firmly told himself that it was none of his business, and he had no interest in getting involved in local politics and fighting- that his job was to heal, not to put himself in the middle of attempted assassinations.

So instead he put his energy into helping people- making sure that his fellows at the Healers' Guild were taking care of themselves, taking care of some of their patients as needed, and so on. He found this to be very fulfilling, if he had to be honest with himself- this was where he belonged, what he was meant to be doing before everything changed.

Wildcard

Anywhere else you'd like to run into Simon? Name a time and a place.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

River had resisted going to the Guild for quite a while, because it was still a hospital no matter what name it carried, and even so far away from the Alliance and the Facility, she could not push away the recollections. No more than she could push away her ability to feel.

But Simon spent much time there, especially now, and one didn't have to be a Reader to see how it impacted him. Changed him, for the better. It gave him purpose and focus, and River absorbed that, like a plant drew sustenance from the soil and the sun.

And as far as hospitals went, most of the Guild was wide and open, and warm coloured. It wasn't the sterile, artificial environment she associated with medical facilities.

(A few rooms, she did not want to enter. The surgery theaters, and others.)

At the moment, she was sorting some supplies into pre-readied bags, to be easily grabbed for all the necessities in a rush. Paying far more attention to the placement of each item than was actually necessary.

And when Simon could take a break, he came up behind his precious sister and warmly embraced her. He knew how hard it must be for her to be spending time here, the memories it must be dredging up, and yet... here she was. He knew it was because he was hanging around the Guild so much himself, and he was one of her anchors, one of the solid things she could hold onto, and that made it all the more meaningful that she was here to confront her fears.

"Thank you," he said simply.

"Simple spatial optimization," she answered, carefully sliding the hypodermic into the bag in front of her, and both of them knew that was not what he was thanking her for. "The odds for a successful intervention of fatal injuries increases 46% when all usual implements are within a 3.048 meter radius."

Simon let go of his embrace and watched her, nodding. If she wanted to avoid the obvious answer to his thanks... well, he wasn't going to push her to discuss it. That never did either of them any favors.

"Prevention and preparedness," he affirmed. "Both important tools to us. Especially because we've been down so many medics..."

A quiver worked its way down River's spine, as she was unable to suppress the fear of what if its targeting medics, what if Simon's next like she was unable to push away all the what if scenarios her mind developed.

Helpful in certain contexts, such as what the Academy wanted to train her for, but very unhelpful in daily life, or for general sanity.

"Recruit people who want to go home, so you can retire," she offers him a smile as best she can at the moment.

Simon noticed the shiver; frowning, he moved to stand next to her, taking one of her hands in his own, turning over what she'd said in his mind, trying to figure out what she'd meant. He was pretty sure he'd gotten the gist, so he ventured,

"Are you afraid that it's going to be me? That I'll be sent back soon?"

He wanted to reassure her that he'd never leave, that he would stay here and be solid, but they both knew he could not promise that.

"You said, most of the others have gone away," she shifted her glance to the far wall, as if afraid to meet his gaze. "I was here before and you weren't. There were things that weren't real but I couldn't always tell."

Simon closed his eyes and turned his head away, though he still kept his fingers entwined with River's. Finally, he looked back at her and softly kissed the top of her head.

"I want to tell you I have no plans to leave, but that's a promise you know neither of us can keep. ...Would it make you feel better if I stopped working?"

"I know."

She couldn't begrudge him even if she wanted to (she didn't). No one in the entire 'Verse had proven themselves more determined to be at her side than her brother.

She curls the fingers of her free hand over her arm. "You don't want to stop working. You'll feel guilty."

"I would," he agreed, looking back at River, wishing he could just reach in and erase all of her worry, find some way to make it so that he never had to leave her. "But I would do anything to help you feel better. Safer. You know that, too."

"I'll stay," she said eventually, pulling her legs up beneath her skirt. "I'll just watch you for a while." His movements, calm and orderly, were soothing sometimes. There was a certain reassurance in watching someone who knew exactly what they were doing when they were in their element; a contrast, it seemed, to River's seeming erratic body and mind.

"But stop at suppertime."

Simon wrapped his arms around River again, glad that she was doing this for him- facing her fear, her worry, and watching him do what he loved for his sake.

"I'll do that," he promised. "And if I don't, I give you permission to make me stop."

And just like that, the impish grin is back, eyes bright and mischievous. "Who said I need permission?"

Simon laughed before he kissed the top of her head and said fondly,

"I thought I would try to slip that in there, anyway. Hope springs eternal."