[PRP] Getting to know you

[Tori Honoo]

Her eyes widened in surprise as he listed all of the places he had lived. Originally Russian...The accent and look he held betrayed his roots, but the travel was incredibly intriguing. "I actually have English blood... My family is Japanese, for the most part, but here and there we've had marriages in our pasts that have broken cultural blood lines..." A small laugh. "I've travelled...quite a bit, both with my family and for my...previous career, but I'll admit, I've never been to Russia." Her face fell a little with the idea of her career being over, but instead of losing it again, she locked it away, refusing to allow it to ruin their talk.  

[TawnyAngel]

Previous career? She was - what? - eighteen or so and she had a previous career? Dith's tilted his head slightly wondering what it might have been, why it was now past and why she looked so sad about it. "Don't bother," he replied with a shake of his head, "things might be better now the iron curtain has lifted up but human rights there are still ridiculous. Give it five or ten years to sort itself out then have a look, there is some very beautiful landscape."

Well, he couldn't not ask. Actually he could not ask but he was curious. "You're young to have had a career," he observed after a moment, "what was it you did?" Child actor or something? She had a pretty enough face so she might have been.  

[Tori Honoo]

His advice was met with a slightly unsure look, but she nodded all the same. She had heard something about that... maybe from her parents? It had been a while... "Well. Maybe one day, then," she smiled, giving a tiny shrug yet again.

His observation made her gaze fall, and she moved a hand to tuck back her bangs, forgetting that they were pinned back from her face and didn't need tucking. Her fingers again toyed with the loose end of her braid. "I modeled... but..." A long pause. "I would have had to give it up in a few years anyway. They start loosing interest after age twenty four or so, and I'm nearly twenty one..." she told him, almost sounding as though she was trying to convince herself of the same.  

[TawnyAngel]

A model? Hu. Dith didn't know a lot about the industry but his stereotype of a model was much taller and much thinner than Dove. Unfortunately that came out to something like his mother, which was one reason he had never much been into the idea of models. Dove looked upset about having decided to leave though and although he didn't understand why he offered her a sympathetic smile and reached over to touch her hand if she would allow it.

"I don't know why you decided you had to leave, but you are right. It is not a job with a long... eh... life expectancy is not the right phrase. With good long term prospects? I guess that is better. Anyway you have found something more important to do now, right?" Dith smiled and nodded slightly. "Something to help people, not just about what things look like on the outside. You seem like a kind girl, I think it suits you much better than an industry like models and fashion."  

[Tori Honoo]

When he reached toward her hand, she blinked, but relaxed and allowed it, absolutely fine with the physical touch. It was all she had known... The past year had been a cruel flash of reality outside of the reality she had known, and her reasoning for leaving her career sunk much deeper than giving up her job. The scars that demanded her departure stripped her of a lot of natural confidence as well, and for a girl who's very identity had been to look flawless, even if she didn't feel it, it was startling.

A weak smile, but one that held some hope. "I could still try it, but even the best editors wouldn't want to spend all that time trying to hide... all of this," she explained, glancing to her midsection, before away again. "There's not much work here for that sort of thing, anyway, though..."

Another pause, this one more open, as she had previously thought such things out before, and then a nod. "A few weeks ago..." Pause. "A while back, actually, I went to Sandalwood to look into courses at the University...I actually thought about looking into something in the medical field, considering...everything..." It was almost embarrassing to admit to someone already in the field and highly experienced, but... "It's not the same, but I've been volunteering at the Pokemon Center downtown, and they've taught me so much already... I just thought maybe it would be nice to at least know the basics to be able to help people, too..." A weak laugh. "Not that I would have been much help this time around, but...I don't know. It was just an idea. Even if I didn't earn a full degree, anything to help would be better than nothing at this point..."  

[TawnyAngel]

Given the images that Dith had seen of 'before' and 'after' a model was photo manipulated he was deeply inclined to disagree with Dove's assumption but given he found the whole industry a bit sick and distasteful he wasn't about to try to get somebody he quite liked on first acquaintance back into it. It was all shallow and nasty, reinforced terrible images of what a 'perfect' girl should be and... and yes, Dove was much better out of that sick mess. He hoped she would come to see it in time.

Anyway, there were much more interesting things to talk about.

"Ah, well, mmh." Dith nodded and sat back in his chair a little which creaked under his weight, causing Viktor to flatten his ears warily for a moment. Once both parties were assure that the furniture wasn't going to collapse Dith scratched the Espeon and turned back to Dove.

"Let me say this. A medical course is hugely competitive. Hugely. It is also a huge commitment of time even if you were able to get on, and the first couple of years will mainly be of theory... if you are wanting to know the basics of how to help people in a crisis the very last thing you want is to be looking at a medical course."  

[Tori Honoo]

At the creaking of the chair, both Dove's eevee perked their ears, watching with curiosity before settling again on the bed, though Lovey looked to the Espeon curiously, and the Haunter over the man's shoulder. <> she smiled, waving her tail calmly.

Dove listened carefully, and nodded a little. She should have known... "The academics don't scare me. My family has always valued education above most things, and I received high marks..." At an incredibly prestigious school. She had worked hard. " And I've got the time, I think, ...But if that won't help..."  

[TawnyAngel]

//Good afternoon,// Viktor inclined his head slightly, //my name is Viktor and-//

//Yes yes! I can introduce myself, fluffykins.// Zla chuckle and swept a little bow that coupled with his wink did not come off as at all respectful. //Afternoon Lovey Dovey. It's Zla.//

Dith shook his head, lips pursing a bit. "You have high marks, and that's good, but when did you leave highschool and what had you done since then?... I expect if you did some extra things you would be able to get a place but that is four or five years of your life. Before you even really get into anything there are the two preclinical years where you have to learn anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, err... microbiology, pathology, pathophysiology, neurosciences and other things I probably forgot. Before that even you need a foundation degree most places." Dith paused there, trying to line up English words in his head. He was fluent, sure, but it would never be as natural to him as Russian was.

"I am not saying I don't think you can do it," he went on after a pause, "I am saying that I don't think it's what you want from what you told me your aim was. You cannot take just a few courses, and if you wanted to get onto a course you would need to refresh your current uh... academics I guess and get into relevant extracurriculars."  

[Tori Honoo]

Lovey listened politely as the two introduced themselves, surprised when the Haunter winked at her, and at the nickname he gave his companion. Never the less, she nodded with a smile. <>

Dove listened as Dith explained a completely different path than what she had expected, her heart sinking as she realized what she hoped to achieve was not obtained in the way she had chosen to pursue it. She certainly didn't want to waste her time with building a degree she would never actually put into practice... She certainly could do it, but given the way things were....

"So how? I know the classes build, but I don't want..." A long pause as she thought it out, unable to arrive at a conclusion. "I just want to be useful to my...friends," she finally admitted weakly, unsure of the word herself. The way she had behaved prior to the attack had been enough proof to show that she wasn't exactly close to the others... but she could't think of anything else to call them.  

[TawnyAngel]

Viktor inclined his head slightly to the unevolved pokemon. //Charmed,// he replied, his voice soft and mild. //Please don't mind my compatriot. He has no manners or sense of decorum.//

//Well yeah,// the Haunter cackled, //mischievous ghost; it's part of the job description, yaknow? Hey, didn't see you in the battle Lovey. What gives?// Manners were indeed not Zla's forte and he didn't see a problem with this in the least. Viktor was quite old and had come into the mature stage of life when a pokemon felt manners were important but Zla had got over that a long time ago; death gave you a whole new perspective and lease on life. Un-life, whatever.

Dith offered Dove a small smile and a nod, smoothing a hand over one of Viktor's ears. "I understand - and that's a good aim, one I certainly emphathise with - but there are much easier ways to go about it than to undertake a medical degree. Basically what you want is to be able to keep people stable in an emergency if I'm understanding you right?" Best to establish that for sure before he continued.  

[Tori Honoo]

Lovey stayed polite, offering Viktor a slightly more empathetic smile than the one she offered Zla. <> she assured him, before turning her attention to the ghost. When asked about her absence, though, her ears drooped and she looked to her girl for a moment. <> it was obvious how scared the little 'version had been. What if Dove hadn't come home?

[colr=purple] "Yes, though I don't think a general first aid class will help against some of this..." she explained, a deep sigh escaping her chest and causing her to wince a bit. "I can do little things, but surpassing minor injuries, I'm afraid ill hurt someone even more." in the situation the had been in recently, she would have been able to do so little...  

[TawnyAngel]

//Ooooh, civie are you? Well, fair enough,// Zla responded, floating down a little to pick a loose cotton off Dith's shirt.

//He means civilian,// Viktor translated in case the Eevee hadn't followed the military slang. //He thinks we are still behind the iron curtain engaged in guerilla warfare sometimes.//

Zla raised his disembodied hands palms up in a shrug. //New land, new war, same old same old. I was getting bored without proper fights.//

Dith paused for a moment to glance at the pokemon, wondering what they were talking about. Whatever it was Viktor didn't seem especially impressed with Zla, who he suspected the Espeon sometimes viewed as an embarrassing uncle or similar. Well, they would sort it out - back to Dove.

"Ah, yes, you would be right there," Dith nodded. "Your usual one day first aid course will not take you through everything you probably want to know or at least it will only brush over it without you really getting to absorb it. What I think you might like to do it take a First Responder's course. It's intended for exactly what you want, for somebody who is not trained as a doctor, nurse or paramedic to sustain life until help arrives. It also assumes that you don't have things like defibrillators available to you though I believe sometimes the use of them is covered now as you sometimes get them in public places."

When he finished speaking Dith's hand came up to rub thoughtfully at his mouth, a little frown knitting his brow. "Now in the UK I could tell you off the top of my head what options you would have for learning but here I will have to go and ask my colleagues for a - err... words. For a steer? Yes, a steer. Likewise I'm not sure how long courses last here but in the UK they are a couple of weeks. Technically you can take just two days to cover things like cardiac arrest - things you'd expect to happen in the community - but you would also be wanting to learn to deal with trauma; bleeding burns, breaks, head injuries, and all of that." Having just imparted quite a lot of information Dith paused there to let Dove digest it.  

[Tori Honoo]

Though the term was unfamiliar, the eevee was able to gather enough from the conversation, and when Viktor translated for her, she smiled and nodded in thanks. <> she told him, settling more comfortably at the edge of the bed again. <> Nor was she actually any good at it.

When Dith spoke, it was like a lightbulb had flipped on inside her head and she nodded eagerly, careful not to trigger any sharp pains. "Yes, exactly! That's exactly what I was hoping for..." She paused, then spoke again, feeling the need to explain yet again. "I don't like the fighting, but I know its inevitable... I just feel that if we've got people willing to fight for us, a few should be willing to take up the other calls..."  

[TawnyAngel]

//I enjoy sparring, but not battle,// Viktor said with a slight nod of his head, showing that he shared at least some of Lovey's sentiment. Though more than prepared to fight when he had to in order to protect those he loved he would never enjoy it.

//What can I say, I like a bit of chaos,// Zla grinned with another shrug. Then, turning to Dith, he tapped the man on the shoulder. //Hey kiddo, I'm taking your money. I'll bring you a coffee.// So saying he slipped Dith's wallet out of his pocket, waved it, and then floated towards the door. //You fleshies want anything?// he asked with a glance back, his light friendly tone showing that 'fleshies' was probably a term of endearment.

"Wha-? Oh, okay." When Zla waved the wallet Dith nodded understanding. "Bring me a drink, da? You know you could go to one of the break rooms... but yes, I know, they're further off."

Shaking his head the huge man turned back to Dove with a rueful smile. "Sorry about that. Ah, yes, I think it would be the sort of thing you're after. We call it the chain of survival which sounds dramatic but," a huge shrug, "it is true. You have somebody who knows how best to stop bleeding, what to prioritise, how to do effective CPR then somebody who's injured has a much better chance of living." As for the rest of what she'd said... well he was less sure about that. Oh he knew they had to fight, they all were fighting but... well he didn't like guns and hadn't missed that fact that Dove had carried one. The thing was with a gun was that it was meant to kill. Not to incapacitate, not to harm even, but to kill. Even if that wasn't why you carried it that was why it was made and how it was made. A few inches was the difference between incapacity and death.

Dith shifted. "Dove... I have to ask. The gun. Did you mean to use it?"  

[Tori Honoo]

Lovey again nodded, but fell silent as Zla took his human's wallet and made for the door, grinning as the man didn't seem perturbed at all by the action. The term 'fleshies' however, made her giggle, and she flicked her tail in amusement. <> she asked Viktor, her smile still gentle.

Diana, now braver that the ghost type had disappeared--but still wary of the large man to some extent-- moved carefully from her place toward her mother and curled up at her side, eager to listen to the elder eeveelution and to put in her own two cents. <> she noted quietly, her ears perked high as she looked at the Espeon.

Dove watched the haunter, curious about it's intent, then smiled as Dith apologized, lifting a hand to wave it off just a bit as he continued on. Yes... That sounded right. "I'll have to look into that, then. Any ideas on where to start?"

His next question, however, threw her completely off guard, and she didn't move her eyes from him for a few long moments. With a sigh, she shook her head a little, her gaze falling from his. "Only if I had to, and even then..." She shook her head. She couldn't hurt anyone with a clear conscious, and she knew it. She had only bought it for intimidation, perhaps even just for a sense of security for herself and the group. "I did use it though... On the tires of the van that exploded soon after," she added, a scowl crossing her face. Embarrassing. It had been completely useless in the end.