A patient with an unusual problem.

[Tzu Mei]

Tzu Mei followed Parum into the infirmary. Since he didn't immediately see the nurse, he sat down in a squishy chair and set to checking his sword's scabbard for the extent of the damage. To his annoyance, it looked like a patch job would not be enough to repair it. "I am going to find you and then I will have a new hat," he muttered to himself in an annoyed tone.

[Parum Callidus Diabolus]

After a few hallways and two staircases with a newly-pregnant, sword carrying man behind her, Parum was generally pleased to have made it to the infirmary without any more of an incident. She looked around a bit for a doctor or a nurse, before attempting to gain attention.

"Helloooo? Is there anyone working right now? We have a...well, it's a long story. Anyone?"

[Ame Robinson]

"What seems to be the trouble?"

Ame Robinson stepped out of her office, dressed in a pale green jumper under her white coat, forest green eyes wide with concern. She quickly took in the appearance of the man and woman in the foyer.

(( This is the part where I need some idea of what she can actually see that would be of diagnostic use, and also what time it is for you guys, since I have no idea what thread you've come from. ))

[Tzu Mei]

The smell of flowers was starting to build up in the confined area of the infirmary, and it was bother Tzu Mei to the extent that he had begun breathing through his mouth instead of his nose. His confusion at the entire situation meant that he was starting to fall back on old habits. With a terse, formal tone he began his report. "At 10 o'clock in the morning on the 8th of January, about a half-hour ago, I went down to the post office to confirm an order of supplies for my class. At 10:17 I returned to my office. There was an animal chewing on an object very precious to me, so I pursued it. At around 10:20 I entered the library while pursuing the animal. Miss Diabolus was apparently practicing a spell, and accidentally cast it out of surprise when the door slammed open."

He took a deep breath and released it in a sigh before continuing. "To sum things up, she believes I may be pregnant. I would like you to confirm or deny this as soon as it becomes possible to tell."

[Ame Robinson]

Just for a moment, Ame stared silently. This was not what she had expected for her first case. Not that she wasn't an excellent midwife--she was--but she had never worked with a pregnant man before.

"Um... why don't you both come into my office?" she suggested. "We can talk about the exact nature of the spell cast, and then I'll have some idea of what to expect. Normally I would use a blood test to confirm a pregnancy," she explained to Tzu Mei, "but in this case there's no telling whether that will be accurate. You said this just happened a few minutes ago?"

As she spoke, she gestured the two into the office, where there were a couple of chairs across from her desk. She noted the smell of flowers that seemed to emanate from Tzu. It was odd, but not unpleasant, though what it might signify medically she had no idea.

[Parum Callidus Diabolus]

Parum walked into the office and took a seat. She fidgeted a bit in her chair.

"Well, the spell was technically...demonic, in nature. It's meant to instill a controlled pregnancy in people without having to actually...go through the motions. Immaculate birth. But, the thing is...when he startled me, the spell happened to misfire."

Parum fidgeted a bit more.

[Tzu Mei]

Tzu Mei also took a seat. To his annoyance, there weren't any that explicitly faced the door. In any case, he was having doubts as to what good a nurse would be able to do. Could she fix things magical in nature at all? "When I was hit by the spell in question, I felt a sharp pain in the abdominal region and smelled some kind of flower. I am not well enough versed in botany to tell you which one.'

[Ame Robinson]

Ame seated herself behind the desk and listened to what they had to say. She nodded to Tzu Mei, indicating that she understood what he was talking about, but she spoke to Parum:

"Under what circumstances would this spell normally be used? And, how far along does it start? A zygote? I mean..." She paused, considering. "I wonder, where does the... material... come from? The parent? Two parents? I'm not an expert in magic; I'm just trying to understand how it works so we can come up with an idea of what's happened, and what will happen."

She could think of a few possible outcomes, none of which would likely be appealing to Tzu, but she forbore to speculate aloud for the time being. The "demonic" part was undoubtedly not good. Would demons think to install fail-safes in the spell to ensure a proper environment for a fetus in cases where one might not exist? If not, some unpleasantness was undoubtedly going on somewhere in Tzu's gut right about now, but perhaps not in a way that would require intervention on her part. Maybe whatever material was planted there would simply be absorbed or expelled harmlessly. But that all depended on the conditions established by the magic.

"Also, if you could tell me your names? I'm sorry, I have a bad habit of skipping introductions. I'm Ame."

(( Smack me if I'm over-thinking this too much, but it amuses me. ^_^; ))

[Parum Callidus Diabolus]

Parum thought for a moment, recalling the effects of the spell.

"Well, the spell causes a normal pregnancy of nine months, so that shouldn't change. The material would come from Tzu and another person I've...met in the past."

Parum fidgeted a bit uncomfortably at her last statement.

"You might notice that I'm not human, by the wings, and my full name being Parum Callidus Diabolus, so my past line of work was...less glamorous than being a librarian. There's not a doubt that he's pregnant, and it'll work like a normal pregnancy...only that he's male."

She paused for a moment, thinking further.

"The baby itself won't be demonic, there's no need to worry about that, but, um, it might something else. I can't say for sure."

[Ame Robinson]

Ame nodded slowly, absorbing the implications of Parum's words. She seemed to be telling the honest truth--you had to have a sense for that sort of thing in medicine. Tzu was definitely, viably, pregnant. "All right... well. That presents complications." Understatement of the semester? Maybe. She swallowed and looked at Tzu. "I suppose the decision about what to do next is up to you. How do you feel about becoming a father?" She intended the last words half-kiddingly, attempting to lighten the mood, but somehow she didn't think the stern-looking professor was going to go for it.

[Ame Robinson]

(( OOC: The following is a real-time RP depending from the previous post that took place between Plat [Parum], Firebird [Tzu Mei], and myself, posted here for posterity. ))

Tzu sat back in his chair and rested his head against the wall. "I'd rather not," he answered. After a pause he added, "However, I don't know the extent of the spell or how much power was put into it. Attempting to cancel any powerful spell could be disastrous, especially one lodged within my gut. I would rather not have my organs vanish or be expelled from my body, if it's all the same to you."

Ame nodded. "No, that's the last thing we want. There may be medical, non-magic ways to terminate... drugs or surgery, maybe... but I'm really not qualified for anything like that." She found herself wringing her hands and abruptly stopped.

Parum thought for a moment. "I don't think getting rid of it is an option, because it's magically set to grow there. If you did, it would just come back until something was born. It's a rather, um, forceful spell."

Tzu sat up and fidgeted with his hands. He wanted to busy himself with some job or other to distract himself from his slowly destabilizing mental state, but that was not an option here. Instead, he slowly counted to ten. "I would rather not we do anything that could offset the spell and leave me with a hole in my abdomen. Professor Diabolus, please inform me of anything which could cause the magic to go loose."

"Well, as long as you don't suffer any severe abdominal injuries, or let yourself be the subject to constant magic-blocking spells or items, you shouldn't be worried about any injuries. I would be careful about alcohol intake, as well..." Parum considered any other tidbits of information she could offer. She hadn't ever dealt with a pregnant male before. "If you feel yourself in severe pain, or anything that's abnormal for a regular pregnancy, it would be a good idea to inform one of us."

"Agreed--no alcohol, no drugs. If you're on any prescriptions, let me know, too. And please keep me informed." Ame sat forward, growing more concerned for Tzu. "There may not be much I can do, but I am here to help. This is a difficult time. Please come to me with anything at all--any question, any worry."

"I occasionally partake in a painkiller for headaches, but not prescription-strength." The professor started to reach up to rub his head, but thought better of it. "I hope I can still work my class to the bone. Most of them need it."

"Physical activity should be fine, just nothing terribly strenuous as it advances along. A small painkiller should be ok, as long as you don't take them often."

"Agreed." Ame glanced at Parum. She seemed to know a fair bit about the subject, but she supposed that wasn't too strange, demon or not. Probably.

"So no injuries, no magic-blockers, and no intoxicants. Your instructions are understood, Medic Robinson. If anything unusual happens, I will contact whichever of the two of you I find first." Without warning, he abruptly changed subject. "How can I get rid of this irritating reek?"

"You... don't like the flowery smell? It's a side effect of all my magic."

Ame almost laughed, but caught herself in time--Parum's talking helped her cover, too. "I think it's nice," she offered. "But not particularly, um, masculine. It might be a cause for talk... students, you know..."

Tzu grumbled. He was obviously not pleased. "It is more irritating than mustard gas," he said. Though obviously exaggerating, he still clearly dislike it. "Talk is meaningless. They are students." Well, at least he wasn't worried about something.

"Well, the smell should wear off in a day or two... but... why don't you like it? It's lilacs. Everyone likes lilacs."

"Not everyone. I do not care for this scent, and it tends to build up such that it either gives me a headache or makes a current one worse," Tzu Mei explained with a somewhat stilted tone.

His tone did not go unnoticed by Ame. "Are you all right, professor? I mean... relatively."

Tzu sighed. "No. I have been trying to avoid an incident like the one last semester by acting as normal as I possibly can. I have not been talking back to the voices, I have not been picking off students with blanks from my office, and I have been trying to socialize. Though I have been successful at avoiding another incident, it is like there is pressure building up in my head. The headaches come worse and more frequently. I am broken, Medic."

To say that was not what Ame had been expecting would be an understatement, and it showed. Shock and compassion battled for dominance, and the latter won. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. What--if you don't mind, that is, what happened?" She mostly meant last semester, but in general would work, too. He didn't come off insane, but he did come off military, and the two together were enough for her to conclude some event had caused his troubles, not an inherent psychosis.

Tzu sighed again, much heavier than before. "There was a short period of time where I thought I was in one of my old jobs. Rebels were going to come and attack the government employees in the safe house, and my band was hired to hold them off. Last semester, I tried to build a gate and barricade out of sheet metal. I might have injured someone had Professor Shiyal and a new teacher not knocked me out and brought me to the makeshift infirmary in the empty classroom. Even so, it took a while for me to snap out of it."

"I understand." Enough for the moment, anyway. She just wished the desk wasn't in the way: the man needed someone to take his hand, or something to let him know he wasn't alone. Abruptly, she turned. "Miss Parum, isn't there anything you can do about the scent?"

Parum frowned, but nodded. "I can dispel the scent, if you'd like. I also have a few spells that give a calming sensation over the body, if that's also needed."

"The former would be appreciated. The latter would be as well as long as it does not hinder my reflexes," Tzu Mei agreed.

"Well, I'll need to go get my spellbook for either of those spells, if you don't mind me casting upon you again."

"No mistakes." After this rather short statement, the professor leaned back in his chair and began staring at the ceiling. Someone with sharp ears may notice that he was starting to count again.

"I promise, no mistakes again. Just, please don't frighten me like you did."

"I was in hot pursuit..." Tzu grumbled under his breath. He started to reach down for his sword, just to make sure it was still there.

Parum shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't exactly pleased with the fact that Tzu still had his sword with him.

Ame had intended to wait until Parum rose to do so herself so as not to seem to be pushing her out the door, but now it seemed that was needed. She stood up. "It was an accident," she said consolingly. "I'm sure nothing of the sort will happen again. Miss Parum, please get the book and come back quickly."

Parum nodded, stood up, and quietly hurried out the door to get the book.

Acting on her feeling from earlier, Ame moved around the desk and took Parum's seat, from which she reached over to take Tzu's hand. "It'll be all right." Cliched, perhaps, but meant with every ounce of her being.

Tzu jerked his hand away. He was not a big fan of sudden physical contact. "I've heard those words before," he grumbled. All of the medics he'd met had ended up saying variations on that phrase, usually to people who wouldn't last the night.

And with that, even really really /meaning/ it just wasn't enough. She withdrew the hand. It hurt her heart, but she wasn't one to give up on him. It would just take time, which she had.

Parum returned, holding a leather bound, some what old looking book. "Are you ready to feel better, sir?" She was much more confident that this wouldn't be a mis-fire. She wasn't even sure these spells COULD misfire.

When Parum came in again, Ame got back to her feet and stepped aside to make space.

"I am," Tzu said to Parum. When this was over, he had plans to go into his office and clean his entire collection of weapons. Hopefully it would provide a good release of tension. If not, then he supposed he could go for some target practice.

Parum opened the book with a flourish, placing a finger on a line. "Here's the first spell. Just relax." She lifted one hand in the air lightly, then slowly down at Tzu, as if she were fanning him slowly with a hand. A slight breeze moved across him, and the smell of flowers began to vanish.

Tzu actually relaxed somewhat as the suffocating odor lifted. He could breathe through his nose again without worrying about headaches! "That was rather simple," he said.

"Would you like me to cast the other spell, for relaxation?"

"Yes, please."

Parum flipped the pages, finding another spell. This time, her hand went out to the left, then across the book to the right, causing an odd pink mist to flow from the book onto Tzu. The mist seemed to cure a small bit of Tzu's pain, and helped remove his anxiety. "Do you feel any better, sir?"

"Pink?" Tzu muttered. He was glad that he could think a bit more clearly, and from his tone that relief clearly overrode his mixed feelings at the unusual fog. "Yes, I am. Professor Diabolus, Medic Robinson, may I ask how I can contact you if necessary?"

"I'm usually in the library during the day, if you need to see me."

Ame gestured toward the main door. "My office hours are posted, or you can page me. I'm always on call. And, professor, I'd like to meet with you regularly for the duration of this... um... condition. Is there a particular time that's best for you?"

"I will remember those. I have class until eleven on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so that is out. What about 1 o'clock in the afternoon on Mondays?"

"That sounds fine." She nodded. "It doesn't have to be every week, but let's say biweekly or as needed?"

"Very well then. I will be in my office for the rest of the day." Tzu Mei stood up and straightened his sword belt so it didn't bang into his leg. "May I be excused?"

"I can't think of anything else, but if you need anything, I'd be glad to help."

Ame nodded. "And I, too." She paused. It seemed most everything had already been said. "Well, it was nice to meet you both, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. Job hazard." She smiled, again trying to lighten things up a bit.

"Medics do tend to be unfortunate in that regard, I agree," Tzu Mei said with a lightened tone. That calming spell had helped quite a bit. "I suppose I will see the both of you around." He cracked open the door and slipped through.

Parum closed her book, breathing a sigh of relief. "I suppose I should return to the library." She turned to Ame. "It was nice to get to know you better, although I hope the next time we meet it's under nicer circumstances."

"I'm sure I'll find my way up there sooner or later," Ame assured her. "How's your collection for medical texts? Or sheet music, perhaps?"

"We have a few books on music, but none would have sheet music beyond a beginner level. We have several medical texts, several of which as dedicated entirely to non-traditional means, such as herbs and the like."

"Oh, wonderful!" Ame brightened at the mention of herbal medicine. "I do think there's a lot to be gained from 'non-traditional' medicine. Western hospitals focus so much on the problem and not the solution, if you know what I mean. But don't get me started! I'll see you again soon."

Parum gave a small bow, and headed towards the door. "See you again!"

When she was gone, Ame returned to her desk and opened up a new file in her computer, into which she entered the salient details of the meeting. She named it "Tzu Mei."