Meet the Landers: Ascheriit

There is some movement at the Clinic of Tolbana. The shift has ended, and some of the Spriggan medical staff is leaving from the front door, mixed with the patients coming in.

A tall Spriggan in street clothes who has just left the clinic stops, cocking her head at a familiar figure sitting on a public bench in Town. "Uta, aren't you supposed to be going home?", she asks, addressing a shorter Spriggan, who has her face buried in a large medical book, and has a pile of similarly themed and sized tomes stacked with maniacal precision next to her, ready for perusal.

"Uh? What?", asks the Spriggan, looking up.

"Uta. Our shift was over one hour ago. Go home." A pause. "Have you even eated?"

"Oh, uh- I... I don't know? I kind of forgot to check." She looks down. "Hey, stomach, have I eaten?"

There is a short silence, folowed by a low gurgle. "I think that's a no," the first Spriggan states. "Uta. Stop reading. Go eat. Go home."

Uta makes a face as if for saying, "But-", but the first Spriggan simply glowers. "GO." And turns and leaves.

Uta sighs and closes her tome. "I suppose I will have to eat," she mumbles, as she closes the book and neatly places it on the pile. Her stomach growls in agreement. "At least, I am still willing to eat on my own. It's good to know I'm not in a Strange Mood...", she says, as she touches the pile with one finger and flicks her menu open with the opposite hand, with the intention of disappearing them into her menu.

Schneider is a Tolbana resident, himself, so when not out adventuring, he often winds up here. He knows Uta well, they've cooperated on several projects, and the latest, his Flight School, is nearing the completion of construction, which is why he's in town lately. Walking back from the Flight School site, a few hours west of Tolbana, he's had a long day, but he still looks fabulous, which is a wizard's prerogative, his fancy coat shining and his long hair looking very eighties. "Hey, Uta," he calls as he passes by the clinic. "How's it going? Is Doc in?"

"You should listen to your friends." A pale looking Spriggan remarks, as they throw a bundle of meats onto her lap. The rather scarred looking one then moves to sit down next to Uta. According to their rather unusual Inspect reading.

                                 < Ascheriit >                                  
                                < Hero Slayer >                                
                           [CASTLE] [I] [HALF A WING]                          

Two pure-white braids lay along the back of their body, as long as their lower legs. Blades are attached to the tips of their hair.

Notably, unlike most Landers, they don't first introduce themselves by name before speaking to Uta. "You must keep your energy up throughout a day." The white-lashed Spriggan remarks. In fact, even though they are scarred, this person is probably the most beautiful and almost aetherial Spriggan that Uta and Schneider have ever witnessed in their entire lives. Well, aside from the fact that Schneider has met this particular person before.

The stashing of books into Uta's inventory is interrupted by a greeting coming from nearby. "Oh, hi, Schneider!", she says, with a wave of her formerly-menu-operating-hand. "I am not sure if doc is in. I've been too busy to check. I was starting to be glad about the visible decrease in war-related cases we were getting, you know, with less combat in Yamato in general, and fewer Ezzo refugees packed in Tolbana now that Eas can house them again... but I spoke too soon. Today I've spent the whole day patching up a bunch of Adventurers who-" A grimace. "-Let's just say... suffered perfectly avoidable injuries for no good reason but 'we thought it'd be fun.'" A sigh and a bittersweet smile. "At least people are starting to... just have fun again. It's something we hadn't seen much recently, with this war going on-"

Uta's ramble is interrupted by sudden lap meat, whose appearance is met with a blink of surprise. The nurse looks up towards-

The looking up which resulted from the ramble having been interrupted is interrupted by a striking sight, a most attractive Spriggan indeed, which causes Uta to double-take, followed by a most unusual inspection report that causes Uta to almost retroactively choke on the meat she hasn't even eaten yet.

Uta's in utter confusion. Stutter. Gasp. Raise a finger.

...Grab piece of jerky and stuff it in her mouth.

Chew while looking on with a mixture of surprise, awe, and deference.

And chewing. You aren't chewing, Uta! Remember to chew!

Swallow. "...A-a-a-a-", Uta begins. Then stops, remembering how, based on what she remembers, it sounded like Ascheriit was keen on keeping a low profile. "-most remarkable Spriggan!"

Uta hurries to push the tomes further down the bench, knokcing them over, but catching them all before they they touch the ground with her martial arts skill, to re-form the original pile which is placed on the far edge of the sitting arrangement. She scoots as close to the pile as possible, and gestures next to her. "Thank you for the food, Kind Spriggan. Would... you like to sit down and rest a little?", she says, gesturing to the recently vacated space on the bench, right next to her.

Schneider does know Ascheriit, and he will bow as he says, "It is good to see you again, sir." When two prettyboys meet, do sparks fly? No, of course not, they are pals. Or at least allies. Not that he's in Ascheriit's class, in terms of pretty. He takes another look at Uta, this time with Inspect, and ohs, agreeing, telling Uta, "Yes, eat food." Of course he's been pretty remiss in his character advancement, so he hasn't taken much opportunity that would exercise those moods, himself.

He hrms as Uta describes her recent cases and chuckles, saying, "A joyous freedom from worry, but I fear we have not heard the last from the Palace Landers." Then Uta spots Ascheriit, and he smirks at her reaction, chuckling softly. Of course he -has- met the fellow before, so he's much more nonchallant.

Ascheriit patiently unrolls a small little roll of more meats, and puts one of them to their mouth. Calmly biting just that one, as Uta tries to not be overcome with awe and whatever else might by frying her brain right now.

Chewing a small piece of jerky, they glance aside towards Uta as she calls them a most remarkable spriggan. "You may call me Köinzell." They express to their fellow Spriggan. "And I do believe I am already seated and resting." They add playfully, giving the young woman a wink.

They then look to Schneider as they call them sir, and tilts their head at Schneider. "It's a shame what happened with them." An off-handed remark before they turn back to Uta.

"Working at the clinic, are you?" They inquire. "What's that like?"

"Köinzell. Understood." A nod. It's kind of obvious that she's aware that this is a Call me Ishmael scenario. "You can call me-" Ah, monikers. So mysterious. Yet so fitting someone on the run, someone who has something to hide. Aura of Mystery. She wants in on this game. She wants in so badly. Clearly, to fit in, one must reply in kind, with another identity-concealing moniker. "-Uta."

Dangit!

"The clinic is..." Uta begins, to distract herself from the recent blunder. "Well, first there's clinics, in general. You got the landmarks of existence all pakced together. Birth. Suffering. Healing. Death. All in the span of half a shift, during which you get to peek through the seams where the iman condition comes undone, and somehow have the impression that you are, for a moment, been transported into an alternate plane of existence where you can glance into the deepest secrets of life. The other half is paperwork." A sigh and a rub of her head. "This one too feels like the iman condition comes undone and you're in an alternate plane of existence." The tensions and workplace gossip and politics are mercifully left out. "The Clinic of Tolbana in particular, though is... special," Uta says, clasping her hands between her knees as she leans forward reflexively, staring in the middle distance. "Here, we Spriggans can just... be Spriggans, you know? We're welcome." She states this matter of factly, with a hint of pleased surprise. Ascheriit certainly knows very well what she means.

"Ironically, it was never my intention to get into the medical field, but... let's say... Chance sent me down this path, and now..." She glances sideways at the medical tomes, still undisappeared. "...I don't know, I suppose it's becoming my life?"

Schneider and Ascheriit get a pensive nod of acknowledgement about the situation with the Palace Lands. "A Whole People forced into obedience, by some sort of... I don't know how to call it. Metanatural means? Once again, it... hits far too close to home for comfort." She gestures in the distance. "I asked a friend to research if the Crowns of Control were used to enslave the Spriggans back in the day when they... we?" It is clear she has no idea what pronouns to use here. "Before the Spriggans were freed, long ago. But according to her research, something different was going on."

Schneider looks puzzled as Ascheriit gives the name Koinzell to Uta. Is he undercover? Well, this is a different subject than what he'd previouisly discussed with Schneider, maybe it was some effort to keep lines of discussion separate? He will Inspect Ascheriit, though, to confirm who he thought it was. Now he's just mildly puzzled rather than totally lost. And then, what happened to who? But their previous discussion was about the heroes and ... the Scrapped Princesses, he thinks? It's been some time. But he agrees, "It was unfortunate, how it played out."

And Uta is /always/ Uta, confirmed. And Spriggans are always Spriggans. He doesn't know the old history, but he's eager to learn, is why he's here and listening in. He is all ears. So to speak.

"Uta." Ascheriit repeats after the Spriggan, nodding their head. "Yes, Clinics are wonderful like that." They note, as they take the tiniest bite of their jerky once more. Small nibbles and bites, almost like they can't bear to take in a big bite because of some reason.

In the midst of what Uta had said, they'd shown amusement though. "I thought only the Travelers referred to people as Iman." They point out. It seems that draws their attention more than the Spriggans being free to be Spriggans, but still they nod their head at that. They are familiar with Tolbana. It is one of the prime reasons they are here after all.

"It is nice to be given a calling." They add onto that, before looking to Schneider once more. Noticing the bit of confusion in Schneider's eyes, they note; "Adventurers do not encounter this as much. But the Spriggans are a cursed race. In the Yamato region especially, where they face racism due to their involvement in the Scrapped Princesses war. After that, most left to island that became the Ezzo Island." They pause for a moment, letting that sink in, and then adds; "And you know what happened to Ezzo."

They then turn back to Uta as she talks of a whole people forced into obedience. "Yes, that hits far too close to home for comfort." The point out. "Though my people were not enslaved by any crowns, they were held by other means. More... social and normal means, in earnest. I'd rather not go into that topic, if that is alright." They remark, grimacing a bit. After all, they had intimate close knowledge of what went down on that occassion.

Uta returns the surprise right back at Ascheriit. "...the Travelers? Uh. Interesting. No, I've actually picked up the term because a Machina used it, once. And I thought it was very convenient. Are the Machina and the Travelers related?" She scratches her head. "So, is that what the locals call the collectivity of Spriggans, Humans, Sylph, Pooka, Salamanders, Undine, Gnomes, Imps, Cait Sith, Were Fang... and possibly others? Just 'people'?"

She turns to Schneider, to confirm Ascheriit's words. "We Adventurers are privileged, indeed. We have it nowhere as bad. But yes, even I get discriminated against by Landers at times." She gestures in the general direction of her books again. "I am on a quest to follow in the steps of those who came before me, and this is why I was researching the chronicles of Medicine: to see if there's any mention of any historical achievement brought about by Spriggans. Is there something there we can be proud of? To be remembered by, as a race who saved lives as opposed to ending them?" Her shoulders slump. "Not having much luck so far. Well, okay, there was one promising lead, once. Apparently, it was a -Spriggan- who inventied anesthetics in this world! I spent weeks chasing this lead. It was -maddening- how this Spriggan was still around and holding public events, but whenever she was holding one of these public events, I had a scheduling conflict because at that exact date and time, I was holding a conference myself!" Her shoulders stiffen as she crosses her arms and huffs. "I even rescheduled a workshop to meet her once. And guess what? Her event turned out to have been rescheduled to the -exact new slot where my own was moved to-." A short silence, before she relaxes again. "Anyway, I... I eventually managed to... to..." She rubs her temples as she furrows her brow. "...just a moment... remembering is hard..." Rub. Rub. Rub. "It... it took some time... and then..." She lowers her hands, so her fingertips are more or less at the same level as her chin, and she continues, "and then... I finally found out who she was... and... and-"

Sudden interruption as memory (or realization?) hits; Uta is frozen for a few seconds in an embarrassed tense grin that makes her look like a Spriggan version of the ALIENS! meme guy.

"-and it turns out that this discovery was not historical enough for my purposes," she mumble-blurts out, flicking one hand in dismissal as she turns her face down the opposite way. Some might still catch a glimpse of the embarrassed blushing.

"So back to the drawing board it is! Or, the lectern, technically," she pipes up with an abrupt upturn in her spirits

She raises one hand with a slight turn of her head the other way. "The subject you wish not to be touched upon shall not be touched upon." She gives her knees a little pat with both hands, as she cheerfully returns to look at Ascheriit and changes the subject. "So, I gather you are familiar with clinics as well? Hopefully just as a visitor, not as a frequent patient."

Schneider winces about Ezzo, nodding about what happened to that land. He nods to Ascheriit about the fate of Ezzo. It seems pertinent that the Spriggans weren't held by Crowns, though, that had been speculated for a while. Ezzo brings up /another/ issue Schneider has been curious about, but he will ask later, as Ascheriit has clearly come to see Uta. Though he says to Ascheriit, "Those from Ezzo have been offered a new home, the Kingdom of Uruk, so they now have a land to call home at least." Ascheriit probably knows this, but Schneider mentions it just in case.

He nods to Uta about adventurers being priviledged, and winces at Uta being treated poorly by Landers. And he will try to follow her rambling recollection of the Spriggan she was unable to meet. It sort of sounds like a parakeet trying to interact with its reflection in a mirror to his somewhat Uta-attuned ears. But he won't say that, no.

Ascheriit listens with some measure of patience to Uta. At her initial question, they remark that; "I do not think that the Machina have a Traveler to call their own. So I do not think they are related. But they learn most out of anyone." They point out. "I wouldn't know more. I veer far away from the Machina. They are too dangerous." Ascheriit points out. "As for the collectivity. It seems to have come up around the time the first Adventurer came around. So I can't really say."

The Spriggan then lays their hands on their lap and takes in a deep breath, then out again. Uta is... a bit exhausting to be around sometimes. "So you were chasing yourself, unaware of yourself? It must be difficult to be a doctor, when you do not know yourself." Clearly thinking of this as a more philosophical idea than a physical one.

"But yes. I am very familiar with clinics. As a warrior over many years, I have landed in the care of many a doctor or medicine-person. I even was in the care of a most dangerous Flügel - who managed to heal me through sheer use of Song." They explain. "It feels like there are so many ways to heal and care for a person. From water techniques, to the use of light. But those don't handle diseases. For that, you need herbs, medicine."

"I have considered switching to Uruk as a kingdom, to join my fellow Spriggans." Uta remarks casually at Schneider. "I... I don't know, I know it might sound odd coming from an -Adventurer-, but I do feel a kind of kinship to my race. Maybe it's the discrimination, inducing me to stick together with the others. I don't know." She shrugs, then continues, "But I think I will not. Not now, at least. I will keep going down the path Chance is sending me towards, and stick to Eastal."

"...You knew about me already?!", Uta exclaims at Ascheriit, reeling back in surprise. "How?!"

I mean, it's not like she held a whole cycle of conferences to spread her discoveries.

"I'm- I'm not sure I deserve to be called a proper 'Doctor' -yet-, Uta mumbles, suddenly looking down, very self-conscious. 'I am still on a quest to become one. I... am playing it safe and sticking to 'Nurse' until then.'" Her slouched position straightens again. "It's the Zen of medicine. Fully focused when dealing with a patient. But then you create the void in your mind, and leave it open to new possibilities." Whether she actually -means- this, or she's just bluffing, it's hard to tell. One thing is for sure tho': she sounds absolutely convinced.

"But enough talking about me. You bring up some rather interesting points. For instance, that Flugel. Or Alv. Not sure who calls them which. Where was that? When? Who?" The accelerating rate of her questions leaves no doubt as for her interest. "And if I'm not asking too much... when did the first Adventurer show up?"

Schneider has only recently worked out that he has an uncommon combination of healing skills. The trifecta of healing: Water, Light, and Pharmacy. Not Song, though. Also sadly, he has no conception of himself as a healer, and his healing ability and spells are almost exclusively self-only. That's how he thinks of them, anyhow. But it's a pretty strong talent! He very definitely plays his class, Rune Knight, suboptimally.

He nods about the Machina being dangerous, and mentions, "There was one we faced on the fourth floor. It took three encounters to overcome her, and she was damaged when we started. But at the end, it seemed more like she was absorbed into the tower rather than defeated."

He nods about Uta considering Uruk, though he can't comment on whether it might be good or bad. He also doesn't comment on the doctor/nurse thing. It's more than a level of skill, it's a different perspective and a different skillset. He says to Uta, "If you don't think you have the medical skill to be called Doctor, you are at least a highly skilled paramedic. Though I understand that doesn't come with the one-syllable job title and the uniform."

Ascheriit takes a moment to look at Schneider in that kind of 'is she serious' kind of way, before looking back to Uta as she asks how they already know about her. They don't answer Uta on that particular topic.

"Whichever. The name is used interchangably. As for when and who... I did not get their name. But this was years ago, near the town of Orth." Ascheriit proposes to her. "As for when the first Adventurer showed..." They think for a moment. "About fifty years after the war?" They guess, roughly. It's clear that they aren't sure on the dates.

They then slowly stand up as they finish their little packaged bit of jerky. "I do believe I should head on out. I've been here for long enough now. I am glad that things are still going well here."

"It is not about -skills- per se...", Uta handwobbles. "It's more... legal... qualifications? I know of plenty of nurses who could -teach- doctors how to treat a patient. But the title of Doctor, one needs to earn." A short pause. "I failed to earn it before-" Silence. Choice of words, considering there's Ascheriit. "-before arriving in Alba, as an Adventurer. But now... well, I have a second chance. If this quest goes well, all the way, maybe I can finally gain the confidence to have earned the right to it."

At the mention of the word 'Orth', Uta almost chokes on her own jerky, and she has to... well, perform the closest to a heimlich maneuver one can perform on oneself. Possibly punching her esophagus. "Wait, before you go where is this town of Orth?", Uta asks after she finally manages to swallow, still kind of bluish in the face. "Even if this Flugel is not a Spriggan, finding out about Song-based healing might still fulfil the requirements my quest!", she asks, with one outstretched hand.

There is one moment of hesitation, after which she retracts her hand, stands up, making sure not to spill the leftover jerky, and bows in gratitude. "...and thanks for everything. I am indebted. If you ever need anything from men, just let me know, and I will do my best to return the great favor you've done me today."

Ascheriit nods their head, as Uta indeed suddenly sees a pop-up before her, incidating that her quest was completed, and that she could proceed along the path of a Moonlight Doctor.

"I hope I was able to assist your... 'quest'?" They kind of question, before touching their chest and turning to head on out of town.

Schneider can only shrug to Aschneriit about Uta. "She is how she is," he says quietly, which of course says nothing. Flugel and Alv being names for the same thing is interesting, though! That will clear up a few mysteries. The other answers seem vague and non-specific enough to not be much use. But maybe Uta will have more of the puzzle that will cast that information into clear light?

He shrugs to Uta about legal qualifications. "I don't think they had qualifications in historical times. You did what you did, and if your patients survived, they came back. By that standard, you're completely qualified." He mouths, 'A Flugel was a Spriggan?' -That- one is a bit too Lewis Carrol for him. May as well be snarks and boojums at that point. He will bow again to Ascheriit and say simply, "Farewell. And thank you for your wisdom."

"You did. You helped -so- much! Thank you again, and Farewell!", Uta answers, probably when Ascheriit is already too far away to hear. But who knows... maybe he did hear.

"No, no, I don't think a Flugel was a Spriggan," Uta blurts out all of a sudden to Schneider, with some delay with respect to the question. "I was just saying that... you know, change of plans. No Spriggan. Yes Flugel. I can probably shelve the research for Spriggan breakthroughs in medicine, and focus on this Fluegel technique of healing through sheer Song."

Schneider nods to Uta about Flugel's not being Spriggans, when she answers. "That would have been very weird," he agrees, nodding again as Uta explains about a change of plans. "Healing through song has interesting precedents," he says. "When I got hurt as a child my mother would sing a song as she put on a bandaid or whatever, and I always felt better after. So /here/ there's probably a song that bumps up your HP bar."