The Healing Touch [Eclipse]

[Mara]

[...from From the Ashes]

Xierra was back on Coruscant, making her way slowly through the halls of the Jedi Temple there. Though she had been based out of Seraphim for the past several months, she and all the other survivors from Gargon had been taken there. And quite honestly, she wouldn't have cared where she had gone after that battle or would have really noticed, considering the state her mind and body had been in by the time it had been all over, at least for the Republic. Just getting out of there in one piece had been a victory for her.

She was headed for the medical center. Though a good long sleep and some meditation in the Force the past couple of days had returned her more or less back to normal, she wanted a thorough exam from someone with more expertise. Besides the bumps, bruises, and general physical and emotional beating she had taken during the battle, Xierra was worried that with the extended fighting on Gargon she might have suffered more damage to a prior wound. Healing seemed to be progressing nicely, as far as she could tell, but it was causing her new pain. Whether it was just stress from the battle or something more serious, she needed to find out.

The Falleen limped along on bare green feet, still refusing to use the Force as a crutch to mask the ache and ease her movement as others might. She would not hide the injury. It was a reminder to her of a rashly made decision back on Makem Te that had in return given her the gash on her thigh. Xierra could not learn from it if she forgot about it, declined to accept it. Her only concession had been to forego the use of her boots, opting for comfortable and simple attire. No cloak or robes, nor her weapons: just simple trousers and tunics.

Finally, after a few turns and a ride down the turbolift to the appropriate level, she made it to the temple's medbay. The Jedi had made sure to leave plenty of time to get there, knowing her arrival would take longer than expected. Xierra swung her loose black hair back behind her shoulders and pushed through the door. Despite the agony she felt at every other step, her reptilian features remained passive. Just because she wouldn't disguise her limp didn't mean she had to show weakness in front of her peers. At a small reception area, she smiled at the Jedi there. "Hello, I'm here for Knight Stellata, please."

[10Tickler]

Within the Halls of the Circle, inside of an office, a soft bleep echoed around a nearly-bare office, breaking the reverie of paperwork and causing the figure sitting behind the small desk to look up, her eyes finding the source of the noise. It was a communicator on the woman's desk, and when she picked it up to see what had set it off, the message announcing her next patient's arrival flashed on the screen. So, Silene Stellata, Jedi Knight and Member of the Jedi Healers left the small office space that she shared, not to mention the monotonous paperwork, behind, taking almost no time whatsoever to find herself at the door to the waiting area.


Ever-smiling, her expression didn't change in the slightest as the doors opened for her, revealing the sight of the lone figure who awaited her within the small waiting area. They hadn't even spoken a word yet, and already the healer's eyes were scanning over Xierra's form. She was a taller woman, Falleen and bore the characteristics of her species proudly enough. There weren't any obvious issues, but Silene hadn't seen Xierra move yet, so there was quite a bit more that could be an issue that simply hadn't revealed itself yet. "You are Guardian Zalq, yes?" the Zelosian woman asked, politely, bowing her head ever so slightly. "Please, step this way and we shall begin the examination and treatment" she continued as she looked back up, her rather colorful hair bouncing some with the motion, her arm directing Xierra into the passageway.


Silene hadn't treated a Falleen before, although she did know a little about their peoples from her studies. However...Xierra was a Jedi, they had been given the same basic instruction as children. Social differences should not end up being an issue, at least not from the Smiling Healer's point of thought. Instead of speaking however, she waited for Xierra to follow the simple instructions, before leading the Guardian down the hall, towards the Examination room Slated for their appointment. "Right inside of here and onto the table please" she said in that constantly-chipper voice of hers, waiting and sealing the door behind them. Silene had noticed the Limp, however...she would wait for Xierra to say something about it before actually commenting on it in the slightest.

[Mara]

The receptionist Jedi had nodded and smiled at Xierra, telling her to wait a moment while she contacted Knight Stellata and let her know her next appointment had arrived. Xierra thanked her and stepped a few paces off to the side of the desk to wait, getting out of the way of anyone else who had approached after her. Her dark eyes scanned the room as she stood patiently, calmly. She was not an impatient being and had no problem remaining unmoving for a while. In fact, it came as a relief this particular moment.

However, she hadn't to wait long. A few moments later, a Jedi came into the waiting area and came up to her. Xierra noticed her immediately and watched her approach, having been looking in that direction when the door slid open. It gave her the time to study the other Jedi before things began in earnest. The healer was Zelosian, if the Falleen had to hazard a guess; she hadn't come across one of the species in person before. She seemed a delicate creature but there was a certain fiery glow in the eyes that shown above the woman's breathing mask that Xierra appreciated. Any trepidation she might have felt at coming to the medical center for help evaporated.

At Stellata's inquiry, she nodded. "Yes. Xierra, please," she added with a polite smile and a short bow in return. She followed the Zelosian healer out of the waiting area and into the heart of the facility. Though her gait was hampered by her pain, her longer strides allowed her to keep up with the other Jedi and not fall behind. Just the couple of minutes while standing had seemed to have stiffened the limb a bit, and it took all of her self-control not to draw on the Force as she walked along, urging her leg to move normally as she put pressure on it. To her credit, the only signthat shone on her face was her tightly compressed mouth.

They reached a small room with a bench-like table, instrumentation on the wall nearby. As instructed, the Falleen approached the table. She turned around, her back facing it, and putting all her weight on her good left leg, levered herself up onto it. Xierra scooted herself into a comfortable sitting position, her feet inches from the floor. The relief was palpable enough that she sighed audibly. Her thigh still ached, but it was duller now, low enough that she could easily ignore if it necessary.

There was a bit of awkward silence while Xierra waited for the healer to begin the exam, ask her some preliminary questions to find out what had brought her to the medical center. But there was nothing coming from Stellatas, so she cleared her throat and focused her dark eyes on the other Jedi. "I suffered a wound back on Makem Te. From a lightsaber blade. I had several kolto treatments, and seemed to be healing nicely. But it has been bothering a little the last few days since returning from Gargon. I'm worried that I might have torn something again." The Falleen was astute enough to realize that it would take a blind person not to have noticed the difficulty she had in the simplest of movements; her leg pain would be obvious to someone of this Zelosian's training.

[10Tickler]

With a smile as bright as the noonday sun, the Healer had let her Falleen patient, the stubborn sort of person to not use the Force to assist them, she'd noted, climb up, onto the Examination table, while she prepared, washing her hands, putting on sterile gloves and listening as Xierra explained what had brought her into Silene's care that day. When the Zelosian turned, she remained smiling as she approached, nodding at the information, processing it carefully as she approached, careful with how she moved, so as not to touch anything without a good reason.

Between stress, Combat, and generally doing all the duties of a Jedi, it was very likely that Xierra's self-diagnosis was completely correct, and that the strain of her actions had caused the wound to worsen after not healing properly, however, only an actual physical examination would be able to discern this. "I understand entirely" she would tell her compatriot, that smile never faltering, her chipper attitude rather infectious to most usually, although with how reserved Xierra seemed, Silene would not have been surprised in the slightest, should she remain that way. "It's actually a fairly common occurrence. Between remaining on Duty and Missions, most Jedi refuse to take the proper time needed to fully heal from injuries that, were they allowed to heal naturally, would never pose an issue again. Thank-you for coming in at the first sign that something had gone wrong, however, because this will make things quite a bit easier. If you'll please expose the area", she continued, waiting for Xierra to comply before continuing.

Once she had access to Xierra's leg, Silene would shift around it, getting views from different angles, but not yet touching the area, careful as she worked. Her job was to ascertain the levels of damage, and treat them as best as possible, and already, she could tell that Xierra had, in fact, been correct in her own assessment. "There isn't any sign of infection, which is a great thing, that means that instead of fighting a million little problems, we'll only have to worry about a few" she explained, simply, looking up and shifting, turning to the small cabinet to retrieve a few items from the shelves. "I'm going to clean the area out well, then start kick-starting the healing process, It's not going to be entirely pleasant, but in the end, it will be far better than dealing with an injury that scarred incorrectly, or never knit together properly" the pale-skinned woman continued in explanation, leaning down to get to work.

Using small swabs, pads of antiseptic, and a little water, her petite hands worked deftly, that chipper voice of hers ringing out all the while. "So you travel often in your service to the Jedi then? Maekem Te, Gargon? Where else has the Force and duty called you to?" she asked, moreso trying to keep Xierra's mind off of the fact that her injury was being poked and prodded at than anything else. "Aside from my Padawan training, I don't think I've ever actually left the Temple proper, not that I'd mind. It would be wonderful to go out and work with the people of the Galaxy, instead of being shut up here all the time" she confessed with a slight chuckle, working away, until she'd finished cleaning the wound.

"Before we continue", Silene began, looking Xierra straight into the eyes and smiling still, her cheeks raised to points by her lips. "There are a few treatment options I can offer you. Force-healing is the standard, it's a drawn-out process, but using that method, I can ensure things are healed properly, over several sessions. The other choice would be a medicated ointment, that's made to speed the process up, but offers none of the control. Either option is fine, I'm positive you'll heal properly whichever you choose, but if you need to be leaving the temple soon, I would consider the Ointment"

[Mara]

Xierra nodded in return, relieved that the healer had seen this sort of thing happen before, many times. And that it wasn't so unusual. Even for a reptilian species like the Falleen and her slower healing times. Having someone with all-around experience should make the process of the exam go much more smoothly. Not that Xierra wanted to get it over with; she hadn't anywhere to be, no missions, no appointments. She very much wanted a thorough examination and explanation of possible treatment options. But the doctor's knowledge was a bonus.

However her elation was short-lived, as the Zelosian Jedi cheerfully chastised her. Offhandedly commenting that Jedi tended not to take care of their wounds, jumping into action without allowing time for them to heal. Xierra had not been so fool-hardy. She had had multiple treatments at the medical center back on Seraphim and had only returned to active duty when cleared to do so. Her physiology along with the severity of the gash had given her pause, not to mention the pain that had come along with it. Still, though, the only sign of her annoyance was a flushing of her skin, a reddish tint joining her grayish-green hue.

Having swallowed down any sort of retort, along with her pride, Xierra followed Knight Stellata's request. Her hurt was eased, though, as the healer gave her credit for coming in to see her so quickly. And by the time she had her beige trousers all the way pulled off and dropped to the floor--for it was the only way to fully reveal the wound to the outside of her right thigh--her skin tone had returned to normal. She realized that the doctor had meant no harm by her comments, and it was silly of her to have felt offended by them.

She watched curiously as the Zelosian examined her leg, touching it only with her gaze so far. Xierra wondered what she must think of it. It was pretty ugly-looking, though its appearance had improved much from when she had first suffered it. The Falleen had been lucky that it had been caused by a lightsaber and not another kind of projectile or weapon; bleeding had been kept a minimum. And after several treatments of kolto and other medicine, as well as stitches where they could be applied, her body was responding, slowly closing up the wound. But it was still hard to look at the dark gash standing stark against her greenish-gray skin.

As Stellata explained what she would be doing, the Falleen nodded again in understanding. "All right." She was happy that no infection had set in. Likely she had just torn a stitch or two, or maybe some skin itself, with her exertions during the battle on Gargon. Easy to fix and treat. And more pain? Xierra was sure she could handle it; just a tickle compared to what she had already been feeling. Even so, she steeled herself for what was coming, not wanting to flinch or show weakness in the presence of the Zelosian healer.

And the healer's questions helped as well, to divide her attention from what the other woman was doing to her leg. Suppressing a groan, she turned from the gash and glanced up at her. After a deep breath, "Yes. Especially in the last several months. It seems like I just go from battle to battle, conflict to conflict." Though many of the Jedi Order were still siding with the Republic, preferring to remain neutral in the war, she was part of a subset that had decided action was the better course to stifle any threat to peace. "Free time is few and far between for me." Until she had been injured a while back, of course.

The woman's inquiry made her think back and refer to her memory banks. At a cursory thought, they all kind of blended into one another. "Well, first there was Rhen Var." She had been plenty of other places before then, but Xierra believed that this  healer wasn't really interested in the countless locations her master had brought her to as a padawan. Nor the odd mission she had done as a newly minted knight. And so decided to focus instead on the major battles; she had seen through the ruse to keep her distracted and was grateful for it.

"Then I took some time away to train my new padawan." Xierra went quiet a moment, remembering the emotional toll Larkin had taken on her, and the circumstances that had led her to the boy in the first place: losing her first padawan on Rhen Var.  But enough time had passed, and she was able to speak about them in an even tone. "But it didn't work out, and I suppose I throw myself into the war effort as a result. And on to Makem Te and Gargon, as I mentioned." And then likely to wherever she was called to next.

Stellata mused aloud that it might be nice to travel the galaxy and not be shut up in the Jedi's medical facility on Coruscant. Xierra smiled and shook her head. "I sometimes envy the simplicity of remaining in one place. No complications. Always knowing what the day will bring. The experience of war is not something I would wish on anyone." The she sighed and shrugged. "But this is where I fit into the plan. And I put my all into everything I do. As I'm sure you do with your own duties."

Stepping back from cleaning out her wound, the healer paused to discuss treatment options with Xierra. One that would require repeat appointments to see Stellata, another that would allow the Fallen to basically treat herself at her convenience. She definitely would prefer the former, giving herself all the benefits of a fully healed leg, possibility with the eventual erasure of a painful limp in the years to come. However, she was unsure when the next call might come, which planet would next need her and the Jedi's assistance against the enemy. And though logically she could refuse, Xierra knew it was not in her to do so. "The ointment, thank you." Something was better than nothing.