Miach Glimpses

[Miach]

It was a beautiful evening, and Miach was glad to see the moon shine so bright. It had a balming effect on his apprehensions, and so did the massage Esmeralda was giving him.

Thanks Esme, it had been one hell of a day... and he sighed. That was an understatement. He had received a young girl for a mere nosebleed, and it hard turned out to be some very rare genetic malformation with severe consequences if not properly treated. He had had to spend all day making sure of it, and convincing others to follow his hunch. He had been lucky that he had read a book about that very topic the week before ! Anyway, this event only strengthened his conviction that properly diagnosing was the first step toward any healing. It sounded obvious, of course, but more often than not, people casually glossed over that step, and it reeked of negligence to him.

"You see, people think they know, but they don't want to really do what's needed to make sure, as if they're afraid to be proven wrong." and it dawned on him as he spoke that he was no exception to that rule. He had carefully avoided to check his own body with his magical senses, lest he would discover his state was worse than he had been told. What if he wouldn't recover naturally ? What if even the Magic at his fingertips now was not enough ? Miach had to admit that he had felt too afraid to face them. Even now, the doctor wasn't really sure he wanted to know. Hope was a much more comfortable state, even false hope.

But it was too late. The realization had come, and he wouldn't be able to find peace now, no matter what, unless he checked. And his increased tension, as well as silence, had not escaped his girlfriend's notice.

"Jon, what's on your mind ? It's about your wound, right ?"

Spot on, as usual. "Well... yes..." He should have been ashamed to admit it, but it was different with her.

"I've told you that I could... See... people's state, right ?" While Esmeralda was growing more and more comfortable with the fact she lived with a Mage, he still didn't like to point it out too much. If anything, Miach was more uncomfortable than her about their relationship. Perhaps because he had only had a real relationship before with another Awakened.

She nodded. "Yes. And..." she didn't elaborate, but from her wincing, the Acanthus guessed she had been reading too much in his statement.

"And I haven't had the courage to check myself before." There. The cat was out of the bag.

COLOR="#006400"]"But... I feel like I must do it now. Would you... See... with me ? Please."[/COLOR] Facing someone's else condition was one thing, facing one's own another altogether. Miach feared he wouldn't be able to bear it alone.

Esmeralda nodded, but didn't answer at once. She wasn't so stupid as to think it would be harmless. It could. If it happened there were bad news, Miach would probably be devastated, or she herself could suffer from what she would See. But at the same time, it was obvious he needed her support. And to be allowed to See the Truth was very alluring, if she were honest enough to admit it to herself...

"Alright Jon, let's do it."

OOC

  Failure for Healer's Trance on Self

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-02-23 16:30:41		Miach rolls 7 to Gno 2 + Life 3 + HS 2 (10 Again)		2, 4, 1, 2, 4, 1, 7		failure

  1 success for HT on Self

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-02-23 16:31:52		Miach rolls 6 to Gno 2 + Life 3 + HS 2 -1 Retry (10 Again)		8, 10, 6, 6, 9, 3, 5		3 successes

  2 successes for HT on Esme

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-02-23 16:32:37		Miach rolls 7 to Gno 2 + Life 3 + HS 2 (10 Again)		1, 3, 3, 10, 5, 10, 3, 3, 3		2 successes

  2 successes for Pulse of the Living World on Self

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-02-23 16:33:22		Miach rolls 7 to Gno 2 + Life 3 + HS 2 (10 Again)		8, 7, 9, 5, 7, 1, 4		2 successes

  3 successes for Visions of the Living World on Esme

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-02-23 16:34:11		Miach rolls 7 to Gno 2 + Life 3 + HS 2 (10 Again)		3, 1, 9, 8, 5, 2, 10, 6		3 successes

[Miach]

*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*

« Mama*! Mama…*» the child was imploring his mother, holding his hand against his bleeding chest. His crying mother was hidden behind her car though, and couldn’t go to her child’s help without risking her own life.

Rushing from the direction of the shop where the outburst was occurring, Miach was darting in a criss-cross line toward the nearest safe spot, the very same car. He passed by the boy with a saddened glance, but didn’t dare slowing to offer help. A stray bullet had killed his mentor tin Africa as surely as it could kill him now, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of bullets no more.

“Usted no ayuda! ! Has dejado*!” the woman started crying at the Acanthus, who was slowly regaining his breath. Now that he was safely covered, he started listening at her. She was talking to him. It wasn’t English. It was… it sounded familiar… Spanish. Yes. The language he was learning from Esmeralda. What was she saying ? He didn’t even have to try and understand. She was pleading for her son’s life, of course.

Translation

You didn't help him ! You left him !

He shrugged, and tried to ignore her, hoping she would cease talking to him. Instead, he turned to look toward the shop, barely raising his head above the car’s trunk to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

Even though he had piercing eyes, he could barely distinguish anything in the shop’s interior. There were several peoples with various firearms. A gang fight, perhaps ? The kid had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time. And now he was hurting, bleeding… dying. As Menwel had, nearly two years ago. So far, so close. In his mind’s eye, it wasn’t the kid anymore that he was picturing on the ground, but his former lover’s body, writhing and crying. Except her death had been an instant one. She hadn’t suffered, she probably hadn’t even realized what had happened to her. But the kid now was suffering, was realizing his fate. And Miach could look into his pleading eyes. “Ayuda ! Por favor ! Me duele !”

Translation

Help me ! Please ! It hurts !

He could look into his eyes, but not do a thing. The mystagogue was frozen in place, unable to think of anything but relief at being safe. Selfish, yes. But safe and sound. What’s worse was that he knew he could help the kid, if they were both here protected behind the car, but he couldn’t bring himself to run to him, and carry him back here. It would take, what… fifteen seconds. Twenty, tops. But that was too long, too far, too dangerous for the cowardly heart of the Acanthus.

“Te va a salir de allí ? No vas a hacer nada*?” the woman admonished him with rising anger in her voice. “Yo no quiero morir !” the doctor replied in a shrill voice, barely able to master his voice, let alone his body and mind. He was still shaking and sweating, feeling cold and nauseous, weak and powerless. And meanwhile, the puddle of blood on the ground was increasing.

Translation

You're going to leave him there ? You aren't going to do a thing ?

I don't want to die !

After what seemed like an eternity, but couldn’t have been more than a handful of minutes, the sounds stopped. Was it the crying, or the guns, that stopped first ? Miach wouldn’t be able to say. But there was now silence. A long, marrow-deep silence. He didn't dare turn, and kept his eyes closed, his back safe for a long long time.

[Miach]

Even though Bastet is meowing kindly by my side, all I can do is remain motionless in the couch, robbed of my usual vitality. “Phantom pain”. I knew the theory. Now, I’m living it, even though I am whole, and I know it. I am recovering as well as can be expected, given the circumstances. Well, my subtle strengthening of some Threads of Life in my Pattern may be no stranger to it, admittedly, but no Sleeper could hope to detect it. For them it’s just a statistical anomaly, a very unusually fast recovery rate. What’s more, I’m not alone during this trial. Esmeralda is with me, supporting me as she knows how. Sometimes being nice, sometimes teasing me, sometimes shouting at me, but always caring about me. But I still feel like I'm a mess.

Every time I'm starting to relax, to actually think about something else, my body sends me a sensation reminding me of the pain that coursed through my whole body just before I thankfully passed out. Or not so thankfully. Had I been still awake, I would perhaps have been able to Mend me before it would be too late. Well, if Idun couldn't... but if I had been... Bleh !

Why does it hurt so much when the body's whole ?! And why so often ? Haven't I done everything I could ? I have checked my body times and again, and it is freakin' whole !! What did I do to deserve this ? No good deed goes unpunished, eh ? So what, I should start doing evil deeds ? Is Good and Evil a Lie too ? Is Pain a Lie ? Why do I still keep on feeling it even though I've seen the truth, then ? Those buddhists and their Enlightment... delivery of pain... they should all be shot in the nuts to see the truth of it !!

I know that there are Lies aplenty around us, but pain... if you experience it, everything else falls short. No one should have to experience it. How can you ever Awaken when your bodies bind you to this Realm... You need to be healthy, free from those bounds, to stand a chance, to be able to enjoy anything. That's a given.

"HAAAaaa..."

Again ! This is like the past is repeating itself, engraved in my body ? Why !? It makes no sense ! Shall I ever get free of this ? Pain...

[Miach]

“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and Welcome on KXJS. I’m Ted Leiner, and I am your host for our weekly show: Book of the week. Tonight we have the pleasure of receiving one of the greatest doctor in our county, Dr Jonathan Blyes, for his first book, The Quickest 911.

Good evening Dr Blyes. Or Jon ? may I call you Jon ?”

Even though the audience couldn’t see him, Miach shrugged, and smiled when he answered “Sure thing, Teddy.”

“OK Jon, so, could you please introduce you to our listeners ?” Ted asked, giving a thumb-up to the Acanthus. It was weird, seeing in front of him a man so small, with a voice so warm. But he made it work.

“Of course. I’ve lived in LA for a long while, studied and graduated there before going to Africa with a NGO to help the locals. I came back a year and a half ago to work at Sutter’s, where I’ve been leading the ER department since.”

“OK Jon, thank you. So now, you felt like you had something to share, and you chose to write a book recounting what you’ve experienced, and where you teach people the basic moves of first-aid. Right ?”

“Well, not quite, Teddy, I’m sorry.” And he offered an apologetic smile. “You’re right that the book has been enriched by what I’ve experienced, but I’m not teaching anything in it. I’m explaining, and showing what people could do to help, but that’s that. It is NO medical book. It is a book of stories, that happens to have medical knowledge in it. People won’t get bored with it, I tell you ! You’ve read it, Ted, right ?” On the other side of Sacramento, Esmeralda was listening, and she smiled. Jonathan was doing great !

“Yes, of course, and you’re right. It’s a great read, and I recommend it to our audience. Lots of moving stories, interspersed with just enough know-how to feel like you’re learning something too.

Did you start writing it before your shooting, or has it been the trigger of your book ? Because we should perhaps remind this to our listeners, you’ve been on the receiving end of first-aid, being shot in the groin during a gunfight. Are you doing better by the way, Jon ?”

So that was it, eh ? Miach thought. He had been invited because there was some juicy gossip to be had. Well, tough luck, I have seen it coming…

“I’m doing fine, thank you. I know a good doctor, you see…” and he paused, smirking. Hopefully, the joke would win him the audience. “and one that has started writing his book before getting shot. I’ll tell you the truth though, Teddy. The Quickest 911 would never have been what it is today if I hadn’t been made to see the ER from the other side. But I had had the will to share those stories, to spread this knowledge even before. It only helped me make them ring truer, more vivid, by giving the reader the two sides of the story. I think it's what sets the book apart. You know who is being saved, what he's going through, and what happened to him afterwards.”

It had taken a lot of Miach's energy and time to reopen all those old cases, and get in touch again with those patients, but it had been well worth it. It had only reinforced his feeling that his job was of utmost importance, to see all those people whose life had gotten back to normal, who had resumed being with their friends and family, smiling and laughing.

“In your book, you write the story of a wife who found her husband in his bathtub, surrounded by snakes. An odd way to commit suicide, wouldn't you say, Jon ?”

The Acanthus smiled again, ever more broadly. He felt like he had them all hooked. They were now starting to talk about the content of the book, and he was hopeful that people would be curious of it. He had tried to write it for that purpose, after all.

"An odd way indeed, and thankfully not the most efficient. We've been able to save that man, and he's now having a peaceful retirement in Florida, playing golf, I hear. But if you want to know the grittiest details of the story, you'll have to read the book. Pictures don't carry well over the radio, after all..."

The interview went on for its alloted hour, and Miach derived a great pleasure from it. He was doing what he hoped would make a difference, he was handing people something that could help them save lives. Their lives. When the audience called, he answered their questions with as much storytelling as he could, knowing that was what people really remembered. And if the book and its promotion wasn't enough in itself, he had an ace up his sleeve anyway...

[Miach]

Even though he was doing whatever mundane things he could think of to promote "The Quickest 911", Miach knew he also had unique alternatives, available only to a few people. Magic. Well, the word didn't really seem suited to the act, but it was just a word, and it didn't bother the Acanthus overmuch. He didn't have to go to radio show, to shopping malls and wherever else to try and sell and his book. All he had to do was nudge the Lie in a direction that would benefit him.

Back to his Sanctum, Miach resolved to try his level best to enhance his book's Fate. But beyond the mere object, what he wanted was the text, the knowledge it contained, the experience it was transmitting, to be sought after, to be pleasing to the readers. Would he be able to achieve that ? He had doubts, but there was only one way to know. Preparing what few tools he had to help strengthen his bond to the Realm of Arcadia and the Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn, the Enchanter started intoning in High Speeck words of Fate and Success.

Seeing the threads of Fate hanging around his book in front of him, he started to use his cards and dices to form the Imago of the spell he had in mind. His left hand holding the book as a focus to reach not the object, but its essence, its deepest core, its right one was drawing cards to help him perceive the combinations of Fate, and change them to his liking. If he couldn't do that, the best he would be able to achieve would be to make the object in his hands being sought after, whereas his goal was to use it as a focus to reach deeper. He had nearly no knowledge of Astral Planes, but he prayed there wouldn't be any need to go into that world of Archetypes, whatever that actually meant, to achieve his desired goal.

Having a clear handle on the object whose Fate he wanted to influence, Miach was now trying to refine the picture that was slowly forming in his mind. Grabbing strands of positive Fate, he was now trying to link those to his book's words, to include his book into those streams of success so that it would be pushed along. He tried in all the ways he could think of. By slowly and steadily knitting them together, by forcefull mashing them together, by trying to shape them into floatsam, and several other variations. But none of those Imago would coalesce into the Fallen World. For some reason, he was not imagining the right thing, he was calling forth the proper rules that determined the fate of a concept.

Cursing under his breath, the Acanthus resolved not to give up, and keep on trying later, when he's become more knowledgeable with those Lies, and the Truths of the Realms Above. It could be done, surely. He just had to find out how.

[Miach]

  11 successes to Writing TQ911

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-03-31 11:41:58		[04] Miach rolls 7 to Int 3 + Expr 1 to write TQ911 (10 Again, WillPower)		7, 10, 6, 7, 8, 2, 4, 4		2 successes
2013-03-31 11:41:58		[03] Miach rolls 7 to Int 3 + Expr 1 to write TQ911 (10 Again, WillPower)		10, 9, 3, 8, 8, 9, 10, 5, 3		6 successes
2013-03-31 11:41:58		[02] Miach rolls 7 to Int 3 + Expr 1 to write TQ911 (10 Again, WillPower)		2, 7, 5, 6, 5, 7, 6		failure
2013-03-31 11:41:58		[01] Miach rolls 7 to Int 3 + Expr 1 to write TQ911 (10 Again, WillPower)		5, 1, 7, 9, 8, 8, 7		3 successes

-4 WP accounted for.

[Miach]

Thanks to the few lessons he had started sharing with Aenigma, Miach's perception of Space had already changed. He couldn't really buy the "distance is an illusion" statement yet, but the fact remained, that facet of the Fallen World too was subject to Higher Laws. For instance, the Warlock had demonstrated how you could see behind your back, or find something, no matter where it could be. And Miach was getting closer and closer to duplicating those feats.

"Esme, please, bind my eyes, and hide the keys, again." did he ask, for the fifth time in a row.

"As you wish, Jon, but if you ask me, it's a trick you've got the hang on." while his girlfriend wasn't yet tired of helping him, it was clearly evident though that she would like to move on. She had exams to prepare after all, and so did he. Their Master of Science wouldn't come for free, after all. Regardless, she complied, and after firmly securing the bind on his eyes, she started fiddling left and right, making sounds with cushions and books, chairs and tableware, the better to hide the true location of the keys.

Meanwhile, the mystagogue smiled, because he knew why she was so insistent. They already had a heated discussion about it, and he had agreed to spend more time on it in the months to come, but it still seemed so far away, in a sort. Their finals were due by October, after all. And piercing yet another aspect of the Lie was prevalent in his mind. He hadn't really stated it, but Esmeralda was far from stupid. If he could learn enough to bend Space, he could be with her, always, no matter where she would be. And he very much wanted to protect her. He suspected that was the reason why she had relented, in the end. She knew it was more important for him than a degree he didn't actually need.

"There, done. Now you do your magical thingie." she teased him.

He smirked, and kept his blindfold on. He would surprise her yet again. Keeping his eyes firmly shut, he formed in his mind the Imago of a world where you didn't need eyes to see, but merely be alive, and superimposed this rule upon himself, in this living room of his home near Tahoe Park, Sacramento, California, USA, America, Earth. Suddenly all around him was readily apparent, as if a veil had been lifted. Thankfully not in the Apocalypse meaning. He started wakling through the room, easily avoiding any and all furnitures, much to Esmeralda's continued amazement.

"Tha... that too ? Come on, you've got to be kidding me !" she protested, but she was clearly impressed at the same time. "Find those damned keys, then, if you're so strong, superman and your X-ray vision..."

"You know that I'm even better. No kryptonite will work on me." he mocked back, while moving carefully in the room. While he was now able to dismiss the need for eyes, he was still unaccustomed to it, and he walked uncertainly toward her, his arms extended.

The argentinean didn't move, waiting for him to walk around her while he would be searching the room for his car keys, but he instead walked straight to her, and took her hands in his. "So, you didn't see me ?" did she ask.

He smiled his confident smile as his hand carressed her hip and he put it in her pocket. "Not quite dear, not quite. It's just that you had forgotten those keys in your pocket, you see." and he produced them out, his smile broad. He was getting better at it by the day, and would hopefully soon progress to the point when he would be able to be there for her, no matter where there is. That mattered.

OOC

Jag I hope you don't mind me using Aenigma, I've tried to keep it very basic. Let me know otherwise, and I'll ask Key if she'd agree to edit out those parts.

[Miach]

"You heard what they said ?"
"Really ? He did what ?"
"...a million dollars for this..."

No matter where he went, Miach couldn't help but hear about this news item. His hospital had turned against patients ! The tall Acanthus didn't want to hear about it anymore, so infuriated he was. Of course, there may be facts, it may be grounded in real care about the baby's health, but he felt furious. Furious and ashamed. So much that it drowned the sane and factual part of his mind.

"The baby was actually very sick, I heard it from the very nurse who..."

Why do I feel like I've been betrayed ? I just want to go and slap that doctor's face ! Who was it ? It reeks of Dr Lawnon, I never liked him anyway ! Walking briskly through the large corridors, he spilled his cappuccino, soiling his sleeve without even noticing.

"In CNN, they say it was an hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and that Kaiser's are just buffoons to have missed..."

Slamming the door open, he nearly hit a stretcher but didn't even pause to apologize, even when yelled at by the nurse. I'm so going to punch his nose to a bloody pulp ! We're supposed to be saving lives, giving them another chance, not ruining their lives !

"Can you imagine what those parents went through ? It must be horrible !"

And we would be the ones to blame... We should be working with Kaiser, together, not against them ! I'm gonna find the culprit if I have to Master Mind for it ! was he thinking while climbing the stairs on all four. Waiting for an elevator just wasn't an option.

"The baby is still in CPS custody, and his mother tried to commit suicide."

Reaching the roof of his wing, Miach burst out in the open, seeing red all around him. The athletic doctor threw his glass against the wall as hard as he could, while crying out on top of his lungs "GHRAAAHHHH !!!!" while kicking into the wall, venting out his frustration against this harmless opponent. "NO ! NO ! GYAHH ! FUCK !!!" The wall resounded long of the cries and hits from his feets, the palms of his hand, and even headbutts.

And you're powerless to mend it, again... aren't you ?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by >this<

[Miach]

* RING - RING *

What the hell ? Miach jumped, staring at his phone the way a house cat would look at a newcoming dog in his house. With wariness and disdain. Crap, it's Sutter's number... That's what I get for being on call...

Barely a minute later, the tall doctor was running to his car and toward the hospital. Why did we have to be the closest hospital to this Four Seasons Hotel, why ??? He knew what to expect, of course, but he rehearsed them anyway in his mind on his way. When there was a fire to a place crowded with people, what could you expect ? Burns, broken bones, and bruises from the crowd fleeing all at once. People who'd have inhaled smoke. And if that's been a gaz leak, perhaps some explosions too. What a mess !

Barging into his ER Department, Dr Blyes immediatly took charge. It was his battlefield, and he was a general. He would see his troops victorious, and Death and Gloom on the losing bench ! He would !

"What do we have ?" did he ask, immediatly setting to work.

[Miach]

It had started like any other day. It should have been a day like any other. It had definitely not been, seeing as to how Miach was still shaking hours after the main event. He was reminescing while sipping his comforting cappuccino.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A few hours ago ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Acanthus doctor was standing in the ER hall, calmly waiting for the patient the EMT were to bring. Mrs Bedann, fifty some years, had been hurt in a car crash downtown. From the early report, she was unconscious, bleeding, but still alive and didn’t seem on the verge of dying. A banal patient of a banal car crash. Except that as soon as he saw her, she immediately became everything but a banal patient to Miach. She was the spitting image of Menwel !

Menwel ! Oh no, not again !

Try as he might, Miach didn’t manage to remain composed, and his eyes filled with tears as quickly as his hands started shaking.

“Doctor Blyes ? Doctor Blyes ? You aren’t feeling well ?” asked a solicitous nurse by his side.

Am I feeling well ? He couldn’t articulate a word, and felt his knees melting below him, robbing him of all balance. He felt cold, and weak, again. Powerless, again. A mere witness, again.

“Doctor ?” she asked again, this time patting him on the arm in the hope of waking him. Seeing the look of worry in her face, and the blood on the blanket above Bedann / Menwel, the doctor sprung back into action, reflexes and years of training finally taking over.

“BRING HER TO THE ER NOW ! GIMME HER STATUS !” he started yelling, having recovered from the shock of her sight. He was not his usual composed self – how could he ? – but the efficient doctor was taking charge. I will not let you down twice ! But what am I thinking, you’re not her, of course…

Already she was being rolled while the EMT read him her figures.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


No sooner had he finished his cappuccino that Miach walked back to Room B.402, where his special patient was being taken care of.

I will help you, Mrs Bedann. I will help you, that I swear !