voidtreckernet

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[Several hours after his apparently miraculous resurrection, Joscelin Fitzthomas opens the video link. He looks shellshocked and confused. But he also looks different. Even as washed out as he is by the video feed, his face is not quite as pale as before, and there is actual color in his cheeks that make his freckles (which also suddenly seem more numerous than there had been) stand out even more.

When he speaks, his voice is quiet and subdued, with none of his usual sarcastic swagger.]

It would appear that I troubled many of you during the mission. For that, I am sorry.

Romeo and I caught a saboteur in the act, and that person reacted by shooting at us. I took the bullet—or bolt, I suppose; how does one classify science fiction weapons?—for Romeo. At any rate, I was under the impression that I had been wounded, but I have since been disabused of that notion and it now appears that I spent the last several days dead, somehow. Tony Stark had my ashes and personal effects in his room. I...

[He seems to realize he’s rambling and cuts himself off.]

Since then, Romeo has vanished.

[His voice breaks.]

I came to bundled away in a suitcase earlier today, so please—help me by checking the baggage car regularly. Maybe Romeo needs help extricating himself from a piece of luggage. Romeo is the very best of us and I beg you all to help me find him and keep him safe. Please.

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Do you honestly think I don’t know that I died? Of course I bloody well know. For the last day I’ve had people telling me how they found my body or solved my murder or collected my fucking ashes and put them in jar.

[Now that the shock has worn off a little, Joss is starting to return to his usual, charming self. So much for the Doctor trying to protect the little boy’s delicate ears.]

I’m here to try to figure out why. So if you’re going to stay—fine. Don’t get in the way. Otherwise—

[He breaks off into a harsh cough, feeling dizzy. It seems that coming back from the dead used quite a lot of his strength and some children need their bedtime soon.]

[ The Doctor just lets out a sigh at the sudden raised voices and winces slightly at the incredibly vulgar language. ]

Yeah-and there's no need to rub in his face-and you. There's no need for that sort of language. [ He tells Joss, no real heat in his words. ]

Still, A physician-that's good. glad to have you.

[ time to pan over Joss with the screwdriver again. ]

Anyways, you were saying, Joss? What's changed?

[ She snorts at the argument and the foul mouth of the indignant little brat but seems happy enough to stay out of it for now. ]

I won't be getting in the way.

In fact, she goes over to a counter where she had left some notes and checks them over, though she will keep an eye on the exam. [ This is her first case of seeing someone brought back to life on the train, after all, and she is itching to study it for it is obviously very different from the revival methods she knows. ]

[Joscelin chooses to ignore the woman and focus on the Doctor. He shows the Doctor his left hand, which is immaculate and unmarked. Previously, there had been a large, angry red slash down the middle of his palm.

He then lifts his sweatshirt, showing off pale belly with no marks.]<\small>

Vampires do not typically scar or mark, but before I came to the train I had been marked magically. Now the marks are gone. But it’s not just that—I feel strangely weakened. My vision and hearing are lessened. Everything is strange. I feel breathless.

[ The Doctor is grateful for the moment of silence and listens to Joss carefully as he reads over what the sonic has picked up. He frowns a little because that's nothing he would expected. Of course, he's not frequently a vampire Doctor and right now it doesn't look like that's what Joss is. ]

[ He takes the boy's hand a moment, checking it over carefully, frowning at the word choice. Marked by magic. ]

Are you squeamish at all, Joss?

[ He asks, opening a drawer and grabbing a pin. ]

[ Vampire? Markings gone? She may be keeping her eyes mostly on her notes but that does intrigue her, even as she is inwardly groaning in dismay. More patients which are well outside her expertise. Now if only someone needed a magical core transferred, or maybe a decent possession by an angry spirit...

The tool the Doctor has been waving is strange as well. Some magical device, or technology even more advanced than the one they have on the train? Wei Wuxian would be able to tell but the creation of magical devices is not her field. Either way, it's frustrating to watch when there is nothing to watch at all.

Why, the examination may be just as strange as the patient. ]

[Joscelin is also rather confused about the wand the Doctor keeps waving at him. During the Void Flu epidemic, Joss had thought it was a kind of thermometer, since the Doctor had mentioned something about taking his temperature. Now he’s not so sure.]

Not squeamish at all; I’m quite used to the sight of blood. Speaking of which, I seem to be experiencing some sort of stomach upset. I tried drinking some blood two or three hours ago and immediately vomited it back up.

[He continues in this vein for a moment, giving the Doctor ample amounts of time to stick him with that needle.]

Mm...

[ He says conversationally before poking Joss's finger with the pin he'd pulled from the drawer while holding Joss's hand steady. ]

Well, that's probably because, as a rule.. humans don't tend to digest blood very well-or not straight anyways.

Ow!

[Joss tries to jerk his hand away from the Doctor but is unable to. Why is he so weak?]

I’m not a human, idiot. I haven’t been a human in 670 years. Are you quite certain you’re a doctor?

Positive.

[ He states, watching the little red dot surface from Joss's finger. That's a healthy blood flow if he's seen one. He quickly grabs a cotton swab and presses it against Joss's finger. ]

Didn't you notice your hands are warm? Your temperature is a healthy thirty-seven. You might not not have been a human in six hundred seventy years-but you haven't been a vampire in... well, my best guess is several hours now.

You said that you were marked, magically and you no longer have those marks. My Diagnosis? Welcome back to the human race.

Edited 2020-03-30 00:38 (UTC)

[Joss doesn’t believe what he’s hearing. He glares at the Doctor and pulls his hand away, sucking on his finger. Once again, the coppery taste of blood fills his mouth and he finds himself gagging.]

You’re wrong! I can’t be human—that’s impossible. Vampires don’t change back. I died in 1349 and then I became a vampire and there’s no way to fix that.

[He’s shaking and hyperventilating now. Even if the conscious part of him refuses to believe what the Doctor is saying, the rest of him knows it to be true and the clashing emotions are throwing him into a panic attack. He starts wheezing.]

[ The Doctor just lets him take in the news but when he starts wheezing he quickly locates one of the inhalers in and offers it to him. ]

Use this, you'll feel better.

[Joscelin doesn’t know what the inhaler is or does, so he just holds it, confused, and continues to choke.]

Why should I believe you, anyway? You’re not human either. You have two hearts.

[ The Doctor figures out the issue quickly and grabs his hand to direct him how to hold it. ]

Well, no. But just because I'm not human doesn't mean I don't know about human medicine. That's like saying humans can't be doctors for cats or dogs because they're not cats or dogs.

[ He directs the inhaler to Joss's mouth. ]

Now, I'm going to press down at the top, you'll feel a small puff, suck it in and hold it for about a five seconds.

[Still mystified (and unable to argue with the inhaler in his mouth), Joss does as directed and is surprised when the tightness in his lungs begins to dissipate. He's less dizzy now that he's getting enough oxygen again.]

...What is this thing? And what are you? I've never heard of any creatures with two hearts.

It's an inhaler. Specifically, it was created to help those with asthma- the medicine it's self is Albuterol-it's designed to relax and open airways relieve the coughing and wheezing.

[ He explains, taking the inhaler back. ]

So, it should help for about twelve hours and that'll give me a good chance to work out an asthma plan for you.

And, I'm a Timelord-by your standards-I'm in alien. You've heard of aliens, right? Well I'm one of the nice ones. Usually. I try to be nice.

...I have asthma?

[That isn’t possible. Vampires don’t get asthma. But...unbidden, a hazy memory from nearly 700 years ago rises to the surface. He’d played too long in the hay and couldn’t breathe. One of the monks had fetched a bowl of hot water and forced him to breathe in the steam until the tightness in his lungs went away.

Oh, fuck.]

“Timelord” is a stupid name for an alien.

[Yes, Doctor, he’s sulking.]

[ Joss is a child and he's adapting to a pretty extreme change so he's allowed to be grumpy. ]

Well, I didn't choose it-but that's what we're called. What we were called-what I'm called. I just happen to be the last.

[ But he doesn't dwell on that and moves onto the next thing. ]

But yes, you have asthma and we'll sort that out-gonna take some medications-you'll need to take them in the morning and the evening. Will you be able to remember it all or should write it down?

and has there been anything else you've noticed that's different that you're used to? Anything at all?

[He’s still pouting but he takes in all the information from the Doctor quietly. He’ll have to talk to the Doctor later about all of this, once he’s had time to process.]

I can’t see as well. Up close is fine, but further away it gets fuzzy. And I can’t see in the dark anymore.

Well, most people can't see as well in the dark that's not much of a fault. The fuzziness though.. I'm going to step back and you let me know when I start to get fuzzy, yes?

[ He prompts, taking a two steps back. ]

[His answer is immediate:]

A little fuzzy.

Yeah.. okay. well.. I'm a bit limited with supplies but I can make it work. It's a medic car-probably don't have an eye chart-no harm in looking though.

Ever been to the Eye doctor Joss? Do you remember having worn glasses at all?

[ He starts pulling drawers open. ]

Eye doctors didn’t exist in the fourteenth century. I didn’t even know anyone who wore spectacles.

Ah, yes. I well.. I suppose that checks.

[ He mutters in response while rummaging through drawers. ]

Yowza! An Eye chart!

[ He exclaims, pulling it out. ]

Okay, we're going to do a test. I need you to cover your... right eye and red down the chart as you can see it-if it gets to blurry then stop and try not to squint-lots of people have a hard time with that one.

[He does fine with the chart until the fourth line.]

Er...L...D? No, P? B...C...

[It’s all a bit downhill from there.]

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