revivalproject | Science tells us that all the useful organs are on the right part of the body

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Science tells us that all the useful organs are on the right part of the body

WHO: Edward Teach, Tae Takemi
WHERE: The Hospital
WHAT: Medical Science
WHEN: Mid Month
WARNINGS:Ed, TBD

Ed might have been dismissive about the idea of a check up during their talk, but something about her words must have gotten through to him. That or it was a coincidence that she would find him poking about in one of rooms. He was exploring like he owned the place, fishing around inside of contains and toying curiously with equipment when he was caught, and he tried to play it off casually, setting his latest curiosity down and nudging it away.

"You that doctor lady?"

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She walked in, lab coat on and all, and gave the man a very disapproving look for his fiddling.

"That's a defibrillator. It could kill you. Don't touch."

One heeled foot taps on the ground.

"I am Dr. Takemi. And you are?"

Hhhmph. He jutted out his bottom lip for a moment in a sort of pout, taking a step away from the whatever-she-said while giving it a longing look. Didn't look that dangerous. "What's it do?" he asked, trying to give the impression that he didn't much care while VERY much giving the impression he cared.

"Edward Teach. Good to meet you face to face, Doctor."

"Electrocutes you."

Not exactly true, but close enough. Hopefully that scares him away.

"I'll reserve judgement. You're the one with the tattoos I see. I'm going to need blood samples."

If anything Edward looked only more interested, and looked to Tae like she was denying him a sweet treat and not a quick death.

"The one with the tattoos," he agreed, a little more used to not being recognized in this place, but it was still strange for him. He nodded knowingly. "Little bloodletting?" he interpreted, patting at his exposed arm to ready himself, "Never did enjoy that all too much. Where do you want me?"

It's not candy. And apparently the best way to keep him away from it was to just move away. She turns and starts away, expecting him to follow.

"This way. And it's hardly that. I need it to prepare slides and check for diseases. And seeing you now, I can tell you've got some scars. I'm worried if you're this lax with the origin of your tattoos, your prior medical care will not be impressive."

Ed lingers a bit longer before jogging to catch up, a faint limp on his bad knee.

He doesn't understand most of what Tae says, and it makes him a little defensive, but he's curious enough that he tries to push down the impulse to lash out.

"Made it this far," he notes, spreading his arms. In his line of work that's damn impressive. "My ah-...prior medical care doesn't amount to much really, no."

She's seen the brace and now heard the uneven steps. Yes, she'd check that out too.

"Perhaps you have, but there are plenty of issues that come with the long term build up of conditions. And unlike you, I have degrees in this field of study, so I'm more a specialist on how to care for a person."

Ed makes a face, thinking he's lived a long life. Hell, he's nearly forty in a few years. But he does feel he maybe has a bit more to live for these days...maybe it wouldn't hurt to get checked out. See what this future doctor can do for him. Maybe she's solved the mystery of what it is the liver is for.

"I know a bit about the subject." He's always found all those fiddly science-y things interesting. Prided himself on some of his more obscure and modern thinking. It all seems out of date now.

Of course she knows what the liver is for and man will he be disappointed. She stops at the door of an exam room, opens it, and gestures for her to head in.

"And what do you know? Hopefully proper care techniques for tattoos. I do see the brace, how long have you had that?"

He wanders on in, and pokes a few more things before taking a seat, making himself comfortable. He pointedly turned the exposed arm about to show off none of them have any signs of old infection, he's taken care of them. "You're very fixated on that, you know?" he notes, hoisting his leg so he can stretch it out.

He considers the brace a moment, trying to do some mental math. It's been a while now, and he looks surprised now that he thinks back on it. "Few years," he offers vaguely. Closer to 10.

"I'm worried about the possible transmission of hepatitis and HIV and other things, yes," she answered drying as she went to get a pair of gloves from the package she'd had replicated.

"May I ask what injury or condition led to its use?"

"And those are diseases?" he asked, head cocking curiously, seeming genuine in his questioning.

"Mm- fucker got knocked outta place," Ed recalled with a frown, and judging from the way he gestured he probably meant it had been badly dislocated at some point. "Popped it back in, but it's never been quite the same."

"Yes, bad ones," she says as she moves to set her communication pad to record the conversation. Sorry, but she needs to keep records and she doesn't have paperwork yet.

"I'm guessing you didn't have physical therapy to assist in recover."

"...What's that?" Ed asked, brow scrunching, and that in itself was likely answer enough. Of course he hadn't had physical fucking therapy.

"And that would be a no," she confirms with a sigh. Seems about right.

"How old are you? I'd say forties?"

"37, thereabouts," he answers more confidently. He's not fully sure of the year he was born, but it's a close enough estimation.

Really? She raises an eyebrow at that. Not what she'd expected.

"Alright then. Let's take a look at you. Can I request you take your shirt off?"

He looks like he needs a more thorough exam.

Ed doesn't look horribly bothered by the lifted brow. Sea life ages you fast. He thinks he's done all right for himself.

He nods, shrugging the jacket off first, loosening his cravat, and tugging it free, followed soon after by the shirt. Not only are there plenty more tattoos to discover, but a startling amount of scars, particularly a cluster of them on the left side of his belly, most of which have matching marks along his back.

"Dear lord," she says, moving forward to see those scars. "Tell me you aren't a heavy drinker."

Because holy hell that is liver damage right there.

Ed scrunches his face and shrugs, "No more than any other man," he guesses, which given the pattern of these answers might not mean the same to Ed as it does to Tae. "Why?" he asks, seeming to genuinely not see the parallel.

"Because those," Tae says as she gestures toward the cluster of scars, "imply heavy liver damage. Which is obviously horrible for your health."

Ed chuckles unbothered, "The liver. Who even knows what that does?" he muses, and after a beat he looks curious again, "...Does it actually do something?" He prods curiously at his scars. Imagine that. What other fascinating things might this doctor lady know?

"Me," Tae answered with a roll of her eyes. "I know what livers do. Medical science knows what livers do. And it's important. Basically all organs do."

She sighs. Apparently she's going to explain this.

"All the blood that leaves your stomach and intestines is filtered through the liver. It processes out toxins in the body, like drugs and alcohol. It is also responsible for producing bile, which helps us to digest fats as well as carry away waste in the body. And that's just a few of the things it does, not even remotely all of it. You need your liver, and even if it is one of the more self-regenerative organs, it's vital."

"When did they figure that all out?" he asks, impressed then that his technique still worked if it was as dangerous as she seemed to imply. "Would you say it's not the better place to take a blade then?" He may have given Stede some very bad advice. Though the number of times he's managed, he has to think it can't be ALL that important really.

"Sixteen seventy eight," she answered quite readily. "Some of the functions. More were of course discovered later."

And she looks aghast by the whole idea of it being a 'good' place to be stabbed.

"There are no good places to be stabbed, but I suppose if one had to be, the shoulders are more survivable. Provided you don't hit an artery. The best plan, of course, is to not get stabbed. Why would you even be doing that regularly?"

"..." Ah. Ed pouts, frowning at his own outdated information. He'd been so sure. Maybe this might serve as motivation to work on his reading.

"Difficult to avoid in my line of work," Ed teases, and then gets to fix her with a disbelieving look, head tilting. "...do you really think I'm from the same time as you?"

"Clearly not," she said with a shrug. "You might not even be from Earth. Or not my Earth, just like my busy little Bee is."

Because she can't imagine he's from the same Earth, given the whole magic thing. Maybe the phantom thieves can do some weird stuff, but Billy was even weirder.

"Your liver is very important."

"Busy Bee?" Ed hummed and shrugged.

"Noted," he grumbled, not likely to change his tactics this late in the game.

"He helps here," Tae answered. It's easier not to have names if she doesn't want to get attached.

"We might need to contrive some liver function tests," she says. But first, blood.

"You're from Earth then?"

One the children then.

Ed given an amused look and nods. "I'm from Earth," he confirms, "Round the Caribbean."

Caribbean. Tattoos. And... Oh.

"You were a pirate."

"Am. A pirate," he corrects, eyes crinkling as a pleased smile falls over his face as she finally connect the dots.

"If I existed in your world you might know me better as Blackbeard?" he offers, watching her face.

"Never heard of you," she answered, sounding quite board. "Honestly, it sounds like the sort of names western pirates had, and they weren't even the most interesting pirates."

They were just pirates, after all.

Well. Ed frowned a little, but tried not to look too bothered by that.

"Plenty of innovation in the East," he acknowledged. He did dream sometimes about starting over, sailing to China or something, and reinventing himself.

"And of course the most successful pirate ever, in Ching Shih," she said, smiling. Of course that one was after his time, but Tae was familiar with the famous Chinese piratess.

"We learned about her in school."

Dark eyes flicked up, running through tales he'd heard and faces he'd met, but the name wasn't familiar. Still, he looked to Tae with interest shining in those eyes. "Tell me about her," he encouraged.

"I suppose I could do that, in exchange for you sitting there while I take your blood."

Yeah, he was going to get a full work up with bribes of pirate stories, wasn't he?

Pirate stories would definitely work. Science stories. Medical stories. Anything to capture that curious mind and distract him.

"Take what you need," he welcomed.

She moves away to start acquiring some tools.

"Urine sample will need to wait for a liver function test. For now, let's start with some basic stuff. But Ching Shih was a Chinese pirate, who started her time on the seas as the wife of a pirate. She took control of his pirate confederation, and her fleet was of over 400 junks."

It was a familiar sort of story. Ed had heard of plenty of women getting their start that way, and he nodded eagerly, dark eyes widening. "400?" he repeated in awe. He'd never had anything near that size.

"Indeed. The Confederation she commanded had several different fleets technically, known by the flag color they flew. She commanded the Red Flag Fleet personally, and had conflict with the East India Company, the Portuguese Empire, and even the Qing Dynasty itself. She was quite capable and powerful, and even managed to retire successfully."

Which was not easy for pirates.

Not easy at all. Ed looked awed, and a little jealous if he was being honest, that longing for his own retirement flaring up at the mention. This place was probably the closest he'd get to anything like retirement, but it wasn't quite what he'd been hoping for. Maybe it was lacking certain company...

"I would have liked to meet her."

"Chances are she was after your time," Tae waved off. "The european and carribean peak ages of piracy do not entirely align with those of eastern asia."

She returns to his side and gestures for his arm.

"I'm going to tie this rubber tube around your arm, then clean your arm and look for a vein to get blood from."

"Shame. Met a few people from that part of the world before. Wanted to disappear out east sometimes. Start over."

Maybe that was divulging too much of his inner thoughts. He frowned faintly, quieting and offering his arm, nodding at the explanation and watching her with interest.

"Going to different places is a way to start over," she agreed. She'd managed it even within the same city.

While she says this she's already going through the steps of binding and cleaning for the draw process.

"What did you want to start over from?"

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Science tells us that all the useful organs are on the right part of the body

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