Heal That Way And You Can Stay

[Deleted]

Good healers were hard to find. Even for Ontari, even for Polis, there was a lack of good healers to keep their people healthy and help them recover for any injuries. Being Heda, Ontari was always looking for the best healers to bring to Polis. It wasn't like she was Heda of the year, she could be harsh and emotionless and her actions were often fed by the fear that she always felt. She wouldn't lie about that to herself, even if she tried to hide all her fear from everyone else around her. Polis needed healers though and Ontari couldn't ignore that fact, a call had been sent out for any healers or training healers that could be spared from the clans and at least they had something for now. Her plan, however, was to try and steal them for Polis if they were good enough. The last thing that Ontari needed was for her warriors and alike to be sick or injured and put herself in a weak position to the leaders of the twelve clans. It had been a few days since a few of her warriors were injured, attacked by a pack of wolves. She had lost some and priority had been given to healing the ones that remained alive. Ontari needed all the warriors possible to stay alive and to be ready again to guard and fight. One healer in particular, from Trikru, had done an noticeably good job in those he had healed and it was obvious that his knowledge was extensive. Quite shockingly to Ontari, he was only in training but under the watchful eyes of those in Polis she knew he could grow to become one of the best in the twelve clans. Ludo was his name. He seemed like the first of multiple healers that she would be able to add to her own collection and he had already well and truly proved his worth with the way he had looked after her warriors. They were the people that were the most important to Ontari and she knew that Ludo would keep them alive as best he could. All Ontari needed to do was convince him to stay. She couldn't imagine that to be too difficult. It was Polis after all and he could have whatever he wanted in the city. There was no need for him to want to return to Trikru after seeing what Ontari could offer him. She had called for them to meet and now waited in a room with a selection of food on a table in one corner. When Ludo entered the room, Ontari gestured for the guards to leave and leave them alone. That was to make him feel comfortable. She was hoping that she would be able to convince him nicely to stay in Polis. If not, she had other plans, but for now she had the guards leave to hopefully make him feel safer. "Ludo, welcome to Polis," she said, knowing she had yet to talk to him since he had arrived. "I hope you're enjoying your stay," she then added, a smile placed on her lips with purpose.  Ludo || A starter! Woo!

[Ludo]

When he first heard about what had happened to the warriors of Polis he was having a talk with his
mentor Nyko who had just finished a lesson on how to mix herbs and milk from a Dandelion. That
was supposed to be very good when having fevers and cold sweats. Ludo had been under Nyko for
quite some time now and he had come far in his training. He even got to go off finding the herbs on
his own now and knew how to treat major things like wounds, sustain insect bites and fatal bleeds.
For every day he got better at healing and he knew now after treating people with injuries and common
colds that the whole thing about being a Healer didn't just relate to mix up herbs and whatnot but that
it also had a curtain aspect to it that was to clam people, interact with them, talk to them and most of
all make the injured and the sick comfortable in the situation no matter how bad it may seem at those
points in the treatment. Sometimes he had to be gentle, other times he had to be really firm and lack
emotion so the sites of the wounded - which could be morbid at most times - wouldn't get to him. He
had to protect himself and make sure that he too was okay before getting into the whole process of
helping others into a better state. Now he was told that he, Ludo, was going on a mission to Polis on
his own to help out the wounded. Nyko had to stay behind and treat the sick in their own territory and
therefore he sent Ludo to Polis. It didn't take long for Ludo to get to Polis and he was fetched quickly
and brought to the wounded almost immediately.

Ludo was put in charge of some of the wounded right away since some of the other wounded warriors
were to be treated by two even three other healers at the same time because of the severe injury they had.
It didn't look good for most of the warriors but Ludo had brought some of the mixtures he had come up
with in the lab at Nyko's place. He had made some improvements to the mixtures Nyko had and the 
ointment he had brought with him was so thick that it closed some of the wounds the warriors had. Ludo
treated his patients well and made sure they got the best food. When people saw the improvements they
let him treat more and more of the warriors and even offered to collect the herbs for him but that he
preffered to do himself. He was picky and he had to be to be able to make the right mixtures for the bleeding.

He was surprised to get invited to Ontari for a private talk especially because he had only been 
in Polis for a bit more than 10 days - he had insisted on keeping an eye with the wounded to follow
the process through - and he also did like the people he was working with. He had spotted Ontari
sometimes walking by also to check her precious warriors and their improving health but it hadn't 
been the long, deep, detailed talks they'd had. She wanted facts and he delivered. He did take a bath
before going to Ontari and when he stepped inside the guards left which did surprise him but he
couldn't stop thinking that she must trust him because of that. "Thank you, Ontari.." he said after
being welcomed by her and shortly after he nodded "I am liking it here.. Your warriors are healing
very well. I can send everyone but one home at this point" he told her without taking his eyes off her.

"So for what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

iah

[Deleted]

As Ontari watched Ludo, she noticed that he looked cleaner and better put together than the times she had seen him in passing when he was looking after the wounded. It was quite obvious that he had bathed before coming to their meeting and Ontari took it as a good sign, that he wanted to make a good impression and that it might be quite easy to convince him to stay in Polis as one of her healers. With the replies he gave to her welcome, Ontari found herself smiling brighter, knowing almost surely that she had a new healer who would not only keep her own warriors healthy and strong but also want to live in Polis. It was a win win situation, really. Not only was she gaining a good healer for her own warriors but she was also taking a good healer away from Trikru. Ontari knew full well that out of all the clans, Trikru held the biggest threat to her life. They didn't trust her and they didn't trust Azgeda which was why she was as desperate as she was to have the best and healthiest warriors that she could. Why she was putting as much effort as she was into making Ludo feel welcome and safe in Polis. To hear this report from him that her warriors were almost all healthy, with the exception of one, just confirmed to her that she had made the right choice in calling this meeting. She had yet to even mention the warriors and already he was telling her about them. Not only was he good at what he did but also dedicated. That was how it appeared to Ontari at least. "That is great to hear," she told him, her voice even and polite, lacking the snap and command that it often held. "And how is the treatment progressing for that one exception?" she decided to ask. Even though her main goal of this meeting was not to check the progress of her warriors, it was something that she could do and likely an easy subject to begin with, a comfortable one for Ludo being a healer. Of Ontari's skill set, reading people was not something she was particularly good at. That meant she couldn't be sure if Ludo was comfortable at that stage, she could only make assumptions from his words, from the way he had taken to his work, from the small things like the fact he had taken the time to bathe. The little things about his body language she couldn't read well and never could in situations that weren't battle. Going from the fact that she wanted to be sure of his comfort before she asked him what she wanted, wanting to have security that he would answer how she needed, Ontari decided to put off asking the question. She could ask other things first. She could offer him food. She could spoil him and then drop the question on him when she was completely and totally sure that he would answer her with a Yes. "I was wondering if there was anything I could do to make your stay more comfortable?" While Ontari didn't particularly like wasting extra resources on people like healers but all she needed to do was get him to agree to stay. It was a short term investment. So whatever he did ask for, Ontari would do her best to deliver it for the short term. In the long term, well, things could quickly change in Polis. She turned her own attention over to the table of food she had organised for the meeting. "I do hope you've been well fed but if you want to eat now," she paused, gesturing to the table, "you can do so."  Ludo

[Ludo]

It was a common fact to the people of Polis that Ontari was a snappy, inpatient leader and if anything
was lacking effecienty she would let it rain with her lack of patience. It was also a common knowledge
that her warriors was some of her most precious people in Polis and when something happened to them
she would react to it as someone had hurt one of her children. So when she was as calm as a millpond
when asking about the last wounded warrior he could not stop himself expressing surprise. It took him
only a few seconds to get past his surprise and deliver a proper answer to Ontari; "He is in a critical state
and I might lose him.." he said looking at the leader to observe her reaction to this information but then
he quickly continued saying ".. But your man is a fighter and with some more intensive care he could
get back on his feet" he finished and one corner of his mouth moved shortly upwards. Ludos task regarding
the wounded warrior was difficult and he had felt bad leaving the man when Ontari had sent for Ludo.
There were people - good people - around the warrior but Ludo liked to finish his job by himself or at
least with him present to overlook the treatment of the man. 

With her second question - now regarding Ludo's well-being - he smiled big. She was very generous
already by letting him - an outsider more or less - lead most of the caretaking of the warriors and 
letting him stay in a very comfortable hut close to where he was working was even more generous.
He was sure that if he said the word she would move the wounded wherever he saw fit so his answer
was very easy to reply "I feel as much at home here as where I live in TonDC". He liked Polis but staying
here forever he could not see himself doing. He had gained some friends here in Polis but he missed
the ones he had back home and his education as a Healer was far from over and he knew that his mentor
would like him to return soon. "Saying so I am staying here until some result on the warrior has shown
good or bad and then I will return to my mentor to finish my apprenticeship" he said with a careful tone
because he would not like to insult her in any way. She had been very good to him.

iah

[Deleted]

It took a lot for Ontari to keep her patience when Ludo answered how her final warrior being treatment may not make it. That one of her precious warriors might die. The stronger part of her wanted to hit out at Ludo, just as Queen Nia would love for her to do, just as the Queen had always done herself when things hadn't gone her way. It was an effort for Ontari to continue to keep her composure but she knew it had to be kept to follow through on her intention of getting Ludo to stay in Polis as one of her own healers. She knew well that most did not react well to anger and outbursts, that any reaction of that sort would do nothing but scare away the training healer. Ontari was thankful that he finished his thought with hope, that the soldier could make it out alive. There was no doubt that Ontari would hold him to those words. "All my warriors are strong, that is no surprise," was all Ontari said in response to that. There was more hope in Ludo's response to her question on his comfort. All the hope that Ontari needed to know that she would be able to convince him to stay. If he was just as comfortable, feeling just like he was at home, then there was no real reason for him to need to return to TonDC. After all, Ontari could offer him even more than she already had. She could offer him anything he wanted and would do so to ensure that he pledged allegiance to herself and to Polis. Until he was committed and would be unable to go back on his word and leave Polis. "I'm glad to hear that," Ontari told him, a soft smile on her lips. "Again, if you need anything else just say so." He was an important guest after all, for now. Again, as Ludo continued a thought, Ontari found her feelings changing. This time, it was from good to bad, his newer words almost contradicting what he had just told Ontari about his stay in Polis. Now it really did take a lot of self-control for Ontari to keep from growing angry. A lot. And honestly, she wasn't going to be able to keep it up for long. The anger always ended up winning when it was large enough. "I was actually going to ask if you would like to stay in Polis." Ontari decided it was now or never to admit that fact, knowing that she would not have control of her anger for much longer. There was already a slight strain to her voice that gave away the fact that her composure was beginning to fail. That slight strain that probably wouldn't even be picked up by Ludo. It was something so slight that only those close to her picked up on it. Those who worked near to her, those who had been in the situation of seeing her anger seep out one too many times. As Heda she had learned that there were times when anger did not help but that didn't mean it was still not her first instinct when things looked like they wouldn't go her way. People knew that. Ludo would likely know that at least. Know that he was sliding into unsafe territory. Ludo