OPEN MINGLE: Search for the Cure

[anti_nonsense]

Who: Anyone involved in the cure development effort! Or poisoned people, last-minute volunteers (and voluntolds), nosy people, whoever!
When: D5 onward. Efforts will continue through part of the moon visit.
Where: Medical tent, the laboratory in the Supervisor Grove, the Big Top, and more!
What: Working together to develop an antidote! This is an open mingle log, so feel free to make your own toplevel and tag around! Most of the actual work doesn't need to be played out on-screen, but this is a chance for participating characters to meet, chat, or interact while working!
Warnings: Potential for medical squicky stuff, testing on (undead) animals

After a public call to action over the radios, several people have volunteered their skills and resources for the cause of curing workers afflicted with the Prince's poison.

Over the next several days, they meet at various locations to collaborate on a cure. In the medical tent, affected characters and their symptoms are examined through medical, magical, and spiritual means. A file on a desk there is also used to consolidate information, and volunteers may go there to report their findings or to look over reports of what others have learned.

Lambert has volunteered use of the laboratory he and Sans share in a spare trailer in the Supervisor Grove, so that individuals with knowledge of chemistry, herbs, or potion-making may attempt to concoct helpful solutions. From D7 onward, he’ll move the equipment to his cabin on the moon, where work can continue through the visit.

A portion of the big top has also been roped off and may be used as a working space. Trying out some weird spell or ritual? That might be a good place for it, away from the delicate lab equipment and sick people.

Of course, those are only the main bases, and people may take their work to wherever they find suits them best.

When enough progress has been made, there will be a need for practical testing. Foster has made use of his necromancy to procure them some undead rats (ranging from normal-sized to weirdly gigantic) to test on. For later-stage tests, some brave volunteers may be needed.

For reference, the characters in leadership roles are:

Oversight: Peridot (+ Mari, Herbert)
Magic: Strange, Rita
Medical/Chemistry: Herbert
Herbs/Potions: Lambert
Spiritual: Ginko
Anyone is welcome to join the effort at any point. Completed cures will be administered at a later time, during the vacation on the moon.

Comments

[dontpokethat]

He stands by the table, hands in his pockets, and gives a small shrug. "I wanted to know how you're feeling, about the poison and everything. Mental and emotional state can have a pretty big impact on treating things like this."

[anti_nonsense]

At first, Rita looks like she's about to answer, assuming he's asking after her physical condition... but as he goes on to specify, she starts giving him a weird look. "Mental... wait, you want to talk about my feelings, like a therapy session or something?" She wrinkles her nose at that.

[dontpokethat]

Dammit. So much for hoping that part will go smoothly.

"...That would be one way of looking at it. But, I promise you, this is actually part of working on curing the poison."

[anti_nonsense]

"Fine. I don't know what good it'll do, though." Nor does she really know how to express most of her feelings. Rita pops a piece of soup-soaked bread in her mouth as she thinks.

Well, there's one emotion she can express easily. "For starters, I'm pissed off about getting tired all the time and losing most hours of the day to sleep."

[dontpokethat]

"You'd be surprised." He'll leave it at that, though, and now just focus on listening to whatever she actually has to say.

Okay, see, that he can understand. "That seems fair, frankly. Why, in particular, does that bother you? Is it because of the inconvenience?"

[anti_nonsense]

Rita glances away, but her gaze slowly drifts back to him. "I guess? I don't know, I was stuck in a dungeon for three days. I thought when I got out, I'd be able to do things again."

Not that she's been doing nothing... but it's a hell of a lot less than she expected of herself.

[dontpokethat]

So. Disappointment, things not going as well as she'd hoped and expected. Continued frustration after days of helplessness.

Yeah, he... really, really can't blame her for being upset.

"I see what you mean. It's too bad that things couldn't go that smoothly. But we are making progress on the cure, aren't we?"

[anti_nonsense]

"Well... yeah," she admits, bringing another spoonful of soup to her mouth and swallowing. "I haven't run out of ideas yet, anyway. Just... not used to putting in half-days of work." If anything, she's used to working nonstop, day and night, until the job's done.