a tisket, a tasket, an angel with a basket?

[tryingitall]

Who: Balthazar, Mina and open!
Where: the library and the outskirts of town
When: Day 109, around nightfall
Summary: Balthazar's promised to try and teach Mina about angelic healing powers, because that can't possibly go wrong. He can also be found inspecting various edible weeds growing around the town and forest eaves.


On the one hand, Balthazar is as content in Kore as he has been in thousands of years. No wars, no bewildering orders from on high, no siblings murdering one another, and on top of that he has both mortal friends and archangels being relatively sociable. If it weren't for the looming fear of things taking a turn for the lethal, he'd be downright ecstatic to be here.

But the food situation is worrisome, and the monster situation is worse. He finds himself racking his brain to think of ways to keep the status as quo as possible. It's not his job, of course. He never signed on to play shepherd to a motley crew of humans and others, and most of them probably wouldn't thank him for worrying about them anyway. Maybe if there was enough alcohol available to actually keep him drunk, he wouldn't bother. Maybe he's trying to keep himself from fretting over how quickly and easily the people he cares about can be taken away.

Times like this, he misses Anna.

And so, he finds himself, circling the outskirts of the town and plucking what plants he can find out of the shadows of buildings as the sun sets behind him.

When it's finally fully dark, he crosses back over to the library, leaving his basket just outside the door. If anyone helps themselves to the plants, that's fine with him. He's not going to eat them, anyway.

He doesn't bother with a light once inside, sitting on a desk to wait for Mina. He can see well enough in the blackness, and presumably so can she.

Comments

[primogen_vampirate]

Mina arrived in her usual finery; three piece suit, silk tie, fedora at a jaunty angle, a ring on each one of her fingers. But for this particular occasion, she arrived without her self-righteous swagger. Although she prided herself on being a bloody genius, there was always the chance to learn something new. And in this particular instance, something that might be potentially important.

And she'd grown tired of sitting around, doing nothing but harassing Gabriel, when the mood suited her.

Despite a great love of books and, more importantly, the very big words they possessed, she hadn't spent much time in the library. It took her a moment to get her bearings and another to find Balthazar. And another still to remind herself that this was not the idiot who'd insulted her those many months ago.

"Hello, darling," she said.

[tryingitall]

Balthazar has never in his life been in a position to teach anything, but of late he's had a good example in Raphael. He's still not sure whether he'll be up to the challenge, but at least they can make a go of it. He's swinging his legs idly when Mina walks in, and gives her a friendly nod. "Evening. I can find candles if you want, but I assumed the dark wasn't a problem for you. D'you want to sit?"

He's pulled out a couple battered anatomy texts, but he doubts they'll need much from them. She's already a doctor, after all.

[primogen_vampirate]

Mina took off her hat, hanging it on the back of a chair before she sat down. It was--had always been--incredibly difficult for Mina to sit down in a chair the normal way. She turned them backwards and straddled. She sat sideways with her leg over an arm. Tonight, she leaned back on two of the chair's legs, putting her own long legs up on the table, her fingers steepled.

"I'm curious," she said, "has this ever been attempted before? Or am I going to be your first?"

[tryingitall]

Well, given that he hasn't settled in a chair at all, Balthazar's not about to criticize. Her pose is rather charming, actually, although the troublemaker in him can't help but wonder how hard a push it would take to knock her over.

That probably wouldn't end well, though. He's trying to be civil.

"I've certainly never tried before. Honestly, I'm not sure whether the rest of my kin will approve of the attempt, so let's keep it quiet for the moment." There's the chance Raphael already knows what they're up to and doesn't care, of course. Balthazar's just not certain.

[primogen_vampirate]

Well, that was interesting. Interesting enough to raise a eyebrow. Balthazar didn't particularly strike Mina as the type to especially care about anyone's approval. And that comment certainly made her wonder a bit more about who was really in charge of that family.

Things were always more complicated than they seemed.

Still, she saw no reason to needle just yet. "As you wish," she replied simply.

[tryingitall]

He doesn't care about anyone's approval...except his family's. Most specifically, the members of his family who could make life here uncomfortable for him. Or nonexistent, but he doesn't think either Raphael or Gabriel would actually smite him to death.

But back to the issue at hand.

"Right. I've never tried to put this into words before, so you'll have to excuse me if something gets lost in translation. You're familiar with the phases of wound healing, I assume?" He gropes for one of the books and flips through it slowly.

[primogen_vampirate]

"Intimately," Mina replied. And not just because she was a doctor. She'd seen plenty of wounds in her unlife. Kindred had a fascinating way of healing themselves. And their blood could, in theory, heal others. Not a practice Mina much cared for, but that was her own, personal opinion.

She set her feet down, sitting upright, all four legs of the chair on the ground. His medical books were a bit old-fashioned, but then again, so was Mina.

"If you have a hard time putting the words into English, I know several other languages, as well. If that's any easier."

[tryingitall]

"It's not the language, it's the words themselves." He shakes his head. "This is something that I learned mostly from intuition and Grace-to-Grace communication. I think trying that kind of communication with you would be extraordinarily dangerous."

For both of them, perhaps.

"So let's see how far we get with English. The ability to manipulate a physical body with will, whether you want to call it magic or telekinesis or something else...I'm not sure that aspect can be taught. Do you have any talent there at all?"

[primogen_vampirate]

That was a very interesting question. "I suppose," she said slowly, "the answer is both yes and no at the same time." She waggled her eyebrows a little bit. "Helpful, no?"

She leaned back again, although she didn't put her feet up this time. "I, personally, have never attempted anything of the sort. I rely on a needle and thread. But." She held up one finger. "But. The Kindred have a wide array of gifts at their disposal. We choose what we wish to be good at. For me, it was a matter of manipulating the mind. But some of my brethren have chosen other fields of study."

The image of Doctor M ripping the flesh from her arm, rearranging it, and putting it back together again was still fresh in her mind.

"There are those of my kind who have done such physical manipulation before. They call it 'flesh craft.'"

[tryingitall]

He listens attentively, finding himself reluctantly curious about her species. The more she talks, the more it sounds like they're quite different from the kind of vampire he's familiar with. More organized, perhaps, and less driven by instinct. That's intriguing.

"When you say you choose...can you specialize in more than one field, or are you stuck on the one train only as soon as it's left the station, so to speak? Because if you can double-up, I think we're in business."

[primogen_vampirate]

"Oh, it's entirely possible to learn more than one discipline," she replied. "I myself am quite skilled in both Dominate and Cruac Magic. Admittedly, they're a bit more well known as fields than Flesh Craft."

Which was her way of saying she'd never even heard of such a thing until very recently. Doctor M had rather rocked everyone's world in revealing that Kindred were capable of anything so...bizarre.

She paused before adding, "Certain clans are also more predisposed to certain disciplines. But truth to tell, Flesh Craft is more of a craft than a discipline."

[tryingitall]

"So you're capable of mind control?" He looks thoughtful. "If I wasn't aware of your sense of medical ethics, that might worry me."

Which might be somewhat hypocritical, given that angels are capable of doing odd things to peoples' minds, too. Maybe he has double standards.

"So, then, you know the stages a healing wound goes through, and you have the power to influence reality through will. It sounds to me like you need practice, rather than instruction."

[primogen_vampirate]

"As intricately interconnected though they may be, the mind and the body are two very different things," she replied. "I've never been able to heal a patient by force of will alone." She had experimented once. She'd tried to Dominate a patient to heal. It was a last resort. A lost cause. And it hadn't worked. But at the very least, her patient had died free of pain and fear. Which was a small victory in and of itself.

She regarded Balthazar thoughtfully a moment. "You do realize why I want to learn this art, yeah?"

Pre-Mina meeting

[nevermindtherunning]

The Doctor was messing with the wires to his house, trying to fix them, when he spotted Balthazar about.

"Oi!" He called over and waved, realizing it had been a long time since he had talked to him. "Those look rightly pitiful." He nods to the plants collected in his basket, "But what other choice do we have, eh?"

He rubbed at his closed eyelid at the notion. They couldn't change anything here.

[tryingitall]

Balthazar grimaces apologetically. "This isn't the best haul I've had, unfortunately. I left a number of things to go to seed, though, and once that process starts up I can replant in a more organized fashion. But it's all perfectly edible. Hungry at all?"

He's not clear on what a Time Lord eats, if anything.

[nevermindtherunning]

There's a pause, "Yeah, actually." He offers his kitchen to Balthazar and moves to light the stove.

"This power outtage... All the circuit breakers look perfectly fine. I don't know what's going on." And then he half laughs, "Well, I know that scientist lot has something to do with it, but as far as what they have in mind, I haven't figured it out yet."

[tryingitall]

"I'm getting good at sauteed dandelion greens." He makes a wry face and comes in, only to make himself at home right off by dumping greens in the sink to be washed.

"I still think they may be under attack from some external force. But I have no proof; it's only a theory."

[nevermindtherunning]

Even though the Doctor barely cooked, he did have some pots and pans about and pulled a skillet out for Balthazar.

"Drink tea?" He managed to scrape by and find some from Donna's kitchen when he was staying over and taking care of her post sea beast. Even if Balthazar said no, he still put the kettle on for himself.

Leaning against the counter, the Doctor had his arms crossed and he looked off in a daze, "I wonder what they're plotting now."

[tryingitall]

"I enjoy tea, but don't feel obligated if your supply is low. I've been drinking a lot of wild mint. Easy to find around the stream." He puts the skillet on next to the kettle. "Do you have cooking oil? They're a bit bland if I just steam them."

Yes, he's experimented with them that much. Don't tell the Winchesters; they'll laugh.

Glancing askance at the Doctor, he shakes his head. "We'll find out before too long, I'm sure."

[nevermindtherunning]

He shakes his head, "Nah, its fine! Although I'll definitely try that mint drink sometime."

Coming over to Balthazar's side, he opens a cabinet door and hands him the cooking oil along with what little spices he possessed. Being a Time Lord meant little needed food intake and small amounts of sleep. In the long run, it probably wasn't healthy, but what he certainly was used to.

Leaning against the counter, the Doctor folds his arms across his chest, "Unfortunately you're most likely correct." It was unsettling to think about that.

[tryingitall]

"Do! It's very refreshing." And healthy, according to Raphael.

He accepts the oil and pours about a tablespoon's worth in the pan, then adds the leaves and salt. It might still come out a bit bland, but it's full of vitamins, and better than nothing. "You'd think the deck would be stacked in our favor, given the variety of talents we've got here. They've got us turned around, haven't they?"

[nevermindtherunning]

"We're bloody useless here, the lot of us. They must be laughing this very moment with us wrapped around their fingers like dolls." His hands slip to resting on the countertop, drumming his fingers in a sick, familiar beat in four's.

"And... They're extremely powerful; nothing I've ever been up against, personally. Nothing in the entire universe is coming to my mind of who they might be." And it bothered him more than he cared to admit.

[tryingitall]

"I wouldn't go that far. Most of us are still hanging on. But yes. Too powerful. I keep thinking there must be something we're missing. Some clue that would make it all more sensible. I don't know."

He glances at the Doctor's tapping fingers, but isn't sure what to make of the odd rhythm. "My elder brothers haven't had any suggestions, either. Don't feel too inadequate."

[nevermindtherunning]

"But you see, I'm clever, very very clever, and this has been the first mystery to really stump me. It's driving me mad."

His teeth are gritted, but he finally forces his jaws to relax and calm down. Glancing over to the cooking vegetables, he does, forcing his shoulders back.

[tryingitall]

Balthazar opens his mouth, with the intention of explaining to the Doctor that there are a lot of clever people here, that he's already bitten off more than he can chew, evidently--but then he looks at him, really looks, and decides that's not what the man needs to hear just now. He's quiet for a moment, stir-frying the greens, then says slowly, "Well, my brothers are a few trillion years old, and watched the universe being born, and they're stuck, too. I don't think power or intelligence is the way to get us out of here. There's plenty of that lying around the Cape to spare."

Looking up again, he adds, "But you're saying you feel trapped. That's what's got you on edge. Isn't it?"