Private Medical Knowledge

[Starlin Rand]

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

The burly Devaronian nurse turned around to face Starlin. "How can I help you?"

"Where's the... the room with the window where they put the newborn babies in?" Starlin asked, making a dramatic sweeping gesture with his hand as if he were taking in a vast view of newborns in rows and rows of bassinets.

"You mean the nursery?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah." Starlin did the gesture again.

"We don't do that anymore. You been watching too many old holoflicks."

"Huh?"

"We don't put newborns in nurseries, we keep them in the room with the mother. Besides, why would the medical wing of the Jedi Temple have an entire nursery anyway? We don't get babies in here that often."

"... 'kay," Starlin said, nodding slowly. "Then I guess I need to find—"

A shouting hubbub further down the hall drew the nurse's attention. While she waddled off to assist, Starlin looked around for someone else who could help him... and spotted a familiar face.

"Amani!" he called, rushing over to her. "Hey, could you help me find a certain room?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani had just rounded the corner with her nose in a datapad, and an aggressively chipper medical droid droning in her ear. The extra noise was hardly necessary, as he was just spouting off the same information she was already reading through, but thankfully she had learned to tune out of EmTee's ramblings when the moment called for it.

"Hey!" Amani suddenly interrupted, placing a hand on the humanoid machine's shoulder, "Why don't you go check in on Room A3 for me, hm?"

EmTee stopped and stared at her, processing the question, "A3? Oh! Yes, certainly! I will get right on that!" He dipped forward slightly before heading off, none the wiser to her plight. The mirialan sighed, and had just raised the datapad again when she was interrupted by a new voice.

"Amani!"

She blinked and smiled flatly, silently concerned about another distraction in the form of one Starlin Rand, "I could…" Amani said with a hint of amusement. This was her medical center, after all, "Why? Visiting someone?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

The amusement with which Amani uttered the phrase “I could…” came across as slightly imperious, which struck Starlin as very funny. “Yup,” he replied. “I am here to visit Padawan Miri Nimdok and her two new babies.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Ah, Miri," Amani repeated in recognition. Quite the change of pace from when she had first met the woman, treating her of a violent head injury, "Should be alright to let in some familiar faces now, if she's ready for it anyway," Ultimately something that would be up to Ms. Nimdok. Amani spun back around and ushered for Starling to follow. She switched screens on her data pad to bring up a check-in waiver for him to sign his name and the time, "Friend of hers?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Yeah, an old friend. I can remember when Miri was yay high." He held his hand at around knee height. "She's like family to me, I wouldn't miss this for the world. Also, who doesn't like babies?" Only grouches and grumps, in his opinion.

He followed along behind Amani, long legs carrying him after her with loping strides. "By the way, I keep meaning to ask you - are y'all looking for more healers? 'Cause I got some healing skills. Mostly spells and all, but they work."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled at Starlin's wholesome enthusiasm, "Well then I'm sure they'll be happy to see you. The babies are doing well," She held out the data pad for him, her expression turning curious come his follow-up question. Starlin had never struck her as a healer before, "Always, but- Is that a path you're intending to dedicate to?" There was a difference between knowing how to heal and being an actual healer. Plenty of Jedi had been taught the basics, which was undoubtedly helpful. But they didn't specialize in these Halls.

"Here we are…" Amani said once they had arrived at the room. She knocked on the door before creaking it open slightly, "Miri? There's a guest here to see you! If that's alright?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Glad to hear it.”

Amani seemed surprised by his interest, and asked if he was seriously considering the path of the healer. “I dunno if I’d be hanging around here all the time like you. I still gotta go into battle and all that. But it would be nice to not just be killing people all the time. Doing some healing on the side sorta rounds things out.” He shrugged. “I know I’m probably gonna have a lot of free time soon, and I want to stay busy.”

Starlin watched as Amani opened the door a crack, then used the six inches he had on her in height to peek in above her head. The angle of the door prevented him from seeing much. “It is I, Sir Starlin, come to visit,” he spoke in a whisper, just in case.

He heard something that might’ve been a soft giggle, then Miri said, “Okay, you can come in.”

Provided Amani moved out of the way, Starlin would enter the room. It was white and full of medical machinery, as hospital rooms tend to be, though this one at least seemed fairly cozy. That might’ve been due to the abundance of fresh flowers, balloons, and other gifts adding pops of color to the otherwise sterile surroundings.

Miri was laying in the bed, with Kyell Laysel sitting in a chair close by. Both of them looked tired, but far from miserable.

“Hey, how you doin’?” Starlin asked, grinning. Pretty much from the moment he walked through the door, it was like he couldn’t stop smiling. “Sorry I wasn’t here to watch you give birth.”

Miri rolled her eyes. “We’re all doing just fine, Star,” she said. “Babies are over there.”

Starlin followed the direction she pointed to the hospital crib. Actually, there were two separate cribs, one for each twin. He walked over to get a better look, and was surprised to find Kyell already standing guard on the other side of the cribs. “I didn’t even see you move, man,” Starlin chuckled, before his attention was rapidly overtaken by babies.

“Look at their ears!” he gasped. Both twins had inherited their mother’s delicate pointed ears, looking like little baby elves. “That’s the cutest shit I’ve ever seen,” Starlin declared with absolute certainty. “What are their names?”

“Kyla and Lara. If you want to hold them, you’re going to have to wash your hands first.”

“Oh snap.” Starlin turned back, hoping Amani would still be there to show him to the sink.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani shrugged, "Well, if you're up for it, I'd never say no to the help." Even if not full-time, anyone who could summon a bit of Force Healing was more than welcome to offer a few volunteer hours at the Halls.

They approached the door not long after, which Amani kept barely open until she had a proper answer from Miri, nudging Starlin a bit with her shoulder as she felt him peeking up behind her. But with the all clear given, she pushed in quietly, letting him follow. While they caught up she gave them some space, focusing on some housekeeping around the edges of the room. The healer smiled a bit to herself listening in on the exchanges, and spun around as Starlin's attention switched back to her. She stepped aside and gestured to a sink on the long counter behind.

"How have they been this morning, Miri?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Though meeting the babies took precedent, Starlin had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. He’d meant to bring it up to Amani, but what was it?... Wracking his brain, he went over to wash his hands in the sink.

"How have they been this morning, Miri?"

“I haven’t noticed any issues,” Miri replied. “They eat, they sleep, they wake up, they eat again. They don’t cry much. Is that normal?”

The look on Kyell’s face said please, let it be normal.

Starlin wasn’t sure if Amani even knew the answer. He got the impression that this wasn’t her area of expertise. Unless, of course, she had in fact delivered the twins, and he was merely ignorant of that fact. Obviously Amani was a jack of all trades with knowledge of every medical field, on top of being a Countess and a member of the Jedi Council.

After drying his hands, Starlin soon found himself holding Kyla in his arms. She was awake and alert, looking around curiously. “She looks more like you,” Starlin said, glancing up at Kyell. “Except for the ears, I mean.”

Suddenly he remembered. “Hey Amani, how do you treat injuries in people who are allergic to bacta?” he asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled, "Yes, that's normal. Some babies cry a lot, some don't. It can be a sign of some underlying issue, but if it was, we'd have found other symptoms to corroborate," And as long as those were absent, the amount of crying was simply a matter of personality.

The healer continued to give the friends and family some space, but inched a little closer as Starlin took hold of one of the babies, instinctively a bit more vigilant with her out of the crib. She watched the girl absent-mindedly, until Starlin suddenly asked her a question, snapping Amani's attention back to him, "Hm? Oh- Well, Kolto is generally a good alternative. Force Healing, obviously, if you're good at it. Barring those, it's usually just a matter of resorting to more old-fashioned methods," She shrugged. When she was out in the field, many smaller injuries were treated in such a manner so as to preserve precious resources and energy for more severe injuries. By extension, it made her more comfortable and versatile as a medic. Something she hoped to make more commonplace among her fellow healers.

"Why?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Between Kyell and Amani keeping watch, baby Kyla was quite safe. Starlin had no plans to drop her, either.

“My Padawan’s got a bacta allergy, so I taught him a spell to use instead,” Starlin explained. “It’s a pretty unique method, but a lot less strenuous than Force Healing tends to be. Turns ordinary fire into a healing flame. Since it siphons off the energy from the burning fuel, you’re not expending your own energy as much. Would you be interested in learning it?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani raised a brow highly. Though unspoken, the translation was clear: You're going to teach me healing?

That in mind, the slight smirk on her face indicated it was in jest more than anything. Arrogance wasn't exactly a common trait of hers, and if Starlin's teachings had the chance to make her even more serviceable to those in need, who was she to brush it off? "Can't say I know much of anything about… 'spells'. But sure. Why not?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Spells aren’t too hard to grasp. I’ll teach you once I’m done here, if you have the time. It shouldn’t take long…”

After Starlin had had his fill of the babies (and totally didn’t get kicked out so that Miri could have a nap), he found Amani in the hallway again.

“Okay, so the spell…” He produced a lighter from his pocket. “You got any injuries that need healing?” He could always make a small cut on his hand to demonstrate, but it was better to not injure yourself in practice.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani stuck around for a bit longer, until she was confident Starlin knew how to handle a baby, and that the parents had everything else covered. She got a bit of extra work done, occasionally slipping in and out of the room as she did. Finally, on one of her trips back, she found Starlin now standing in the hall, "Kicked out?" Amani teased.

He asked for any lingering injuries to which she blinked in doubt, but looked around anyway, "Uhhh- oh. I mean, I guess there's this little scrape on my elbow," Amani snorted, rolling up her sleeve and twisting her arm around to bring the abrasion into view, "Does that count?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Kicked out?"

"I ain't sayin' nothing, but there may be a size nine shoe print on my backside."

Having said that, Starlin moved to one side so they wouldn't block traffic in the hall. "Certainly. This technique works on boo-boos as well as stab wounds." He ignited the lighter with a flick of his thumb, uttering the words of the spell. "'Healing waters, the body spurns; Ashla, make this flame mend instead of burn.'"

The flame turned bluish white. Starlin held it up to Amani's elbow, and her scrape began to disappear. "Nice. You see that?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani stayed still, watching Starlin's little ritual curiously. She tensed up slightly as he flicked on a lighter underneath her arm, but as the spell visually altered the flames, it became clear that there was indeed more to it. The scrape began to disappear, as if burned away by the flames without a hit of scorching to the surrounding tissue, "I do."

She looked at him now with a raised brow, "So- what? It's just rhyming words together?" The smirk on her face indicated facetiousness. He called her a green broad; He could handle a few jabs in return. The intent behind her question was still genuine, after all.

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Technically all you need is the ‘Ashla, make this flame mend instead of burn’ part,” Starlin replied. “I make them rhyme because it's easier to remember. And also because it’s fun. I know a few other spells, but they’re not for healing.”

Casually pulling out a knife, he sliced open the tip of his thumb, then held it and the lighter out to her. “Now you try.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Huh," Impressive, if it was really as easy as he made it seem, "That's really all there is? You just say the words and it works? No training? No practice?" It was her turn to find out.

Amani took the lighter raising it towards the slight incision Starlin had made. The corner of her lip quirked up amusedly as she prepared to utter the incantation, feeling just a little silly about it, "Ashla, make this flame mend instead of burn," She repeated, and watched as the fire turned blue.

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"That's really all there is? You just say the words and it works?"

“Well, I mean—”

"No training? No practice?"

“You might not get it the first time—”

"Ashla, make this flame mend instead of burn."

Starlin fell silent as the flame turned blue, healing his cut.

“Okay.” He licked the blood from his thumb, revealing no sign of the incision. Not even a scar. “All right, Amani. You got it.” On your first try, and without the rhyme. He compressed his lips to keep from saying something he might regret later, eventually finding it in him to smile and nod in approval. “No wonder why you’re the Chief Healer.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani's expression turned from surprise to cockiness, upon realizing she had done it on her first try, "I did," It was a peculiar little spell, but one that might very well come in handy in the future, "That's what they call me," Her smugness was, as usual, balanced by an ironic attitude. She had indeed impressed herself, but the showiness was never more than a bit of fun.

Amani closed the lighter, then opened it again, "Ashla, make this flame mend, instead of burn," The new flame stayed its natural color. She blinked, flummoxed by the lack of consistency, "Well now why didn't it work that time?"

Starlin Rand​