Dr. Helen Magnus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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sixthiterationlogs2017-06-10 06:32 pm
notsocommon) wrote in sixthiterationlogs2017-06-10 06:32 pm
004 ❝ God's in his Heaven ❞
WHO: Helen Magnus
WHERE: woods, river, butcher's shop
WHEN: 10 June - 12 June
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: TBA
STATUS: Open
i. ❝ the year's at the spring ❞
Helen found that paper was a precious and limited commodity around the village and the bits and scraps she had leftover from her gifts over the winter were rapidly dwindling. She had written on every inch of paper as best she could, cramped writing fitting every square of space, and she was reminded for not the first time of Carentan and how things had to be made to last and last again well beyond their original expiration date. In this, she felt her age for one of the first times in her long life. She felt as her friend Tolkien had once described thin, like butter scraped over too much bread and facing her mortality head on wasn't a position she thought she'd ever find herself in.
She didn't particularly face it head on now if she could help it. This morning she'd found herself in the woods hunting for herbs but, honestly, they were few and far between. The sun was up nearly all the time now and while it flirted with the horizon, it never sank beneath it at night. The best they got was a few hours of near-twilight but no true night fell over the land and hadn't for the past several days. To add insult to injury, it was stifling hot and miserably dry. The grasses had either been eaten down to the earth by the grazing animals or withered and dried up.
Her basket woefully empty aside from some indigo for dyeing, she made her way back to the village, brow furrowed a bit with worry. She made a note in her already-cramped notebook: Sun - constant. Arid. Vegetation scorched.
ii. ❝ the hillside's dew-pearled ❞
Later in the day (for a given definition of day, anyway), Helen made her way down to the river to make observations there. It was dangerously low, the banks exposed to a worrisome degree. Much of their food came from the river by way of fish and if they didn't have that resource and the plants were scorching under the bright sun, what were they going to eat? Rations would need to be put into place regardless but this was escalating to a degree that had Helen wondering if they ought not call a meeting to discuss it. It was something she would certainly be discussing with Mark and Ravi when she got home to see if they ought to bring it to the village at large; her roommates were always a good sounding board for such things.
The bright sun glinted against something bronze and shiny against the dried mud of the riverbed and she picked it up, uncertain of what it could possibly be. It appeared to be some sort of arrowhead but she knew the people here who fletched and made arrows typically used flint for them, not bronze. This was something that didn't seem to fit with the activities that the residents normally engaged in and she slid the arrowhead in her pocket, intending to ask about it once she'd gotten back to the village. Perhaps the others might have a better idea as to what it could possibly be.
iii. ❝ all's right with the world ❞
In spite of the strange happenings of late, some things never changed and one of those things was the need for soap. A village like theirs with about five dozen people, give or take, went through a good bit of soap both for personal bathing and for laundry. It took a lot of Helen's time each week to make soap, cut it, leave it to dry and to distribute that which was ready to be used. Each batch of soap had to be cured for at least three weeks to a month before it could be used but given the bright, beating sun of the past month or so she'd had luck with curing soap for much less time.
"The only good thing to come out of this bloody heat is that I can turn over the soap much faster," Helen muttered, stepping outside the butcher's to get away from the hot lye and fat mixture bubbling over the fire and get some sort of relief. It wasn't coming to her here, given it was nearly as hot outdoors as it was inside, but at least she could fan herself and get a chance to get a few deep breaths without inhaling the scent of soap-in-process.
She slid off her t-shirt, standing in just her bra for the moment, and used the soft cotton to mop off her brow.
WHERE: woods, river, butcher's shop
WHEN: 10 June - 12 June
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: TBA
STATUS: Open
i. ❝ the year's at the spring ❞
Helen found that paper was a precious and limited commodity around the village and the bits and scraps she had leftover from her gifts over the winter were rapidly dwindling. She had written on every inch of paper as best she could, cramped writing fitting every square of space, and she was reminded for not the first time of Carentan and how things had to be made to last and last again well beyond their original expiration date. In this, she felt her age for one of the first times in her long life. She felt as her friend Tolkien had once described thin, like butter scraped over too much bread and facing her mortality head on wasn't a position she thought she'd ever find herself in.
She didn't particularly face it head on now if she could help it. This morning she'd found herself in the woods hunting for herbs but, honestly, they were few and far between. The sun was up nearly all the time now and while it flirted with the horizon, it never sank beneath it at night. The best they got was a few hours of near-twilight but no true night fell over the land and hadn't for the past several days. To add insult to injury, it was stifling hot and miserably dry. The grasses had either been eaten down to the earth by the grazing animals or withered and dried up.
Her basket woefully empty aside from some indigo for dyeing, she made her way back to the village, brow furrowed a bit with worry. She made a note in her already-cramped notebook: Sun - constant. Arid. Vegetation scorched.
ii. ❝ the hillside's dew-pearled ❞
Later in the day (for a given definition of day, anyway), Helen made her way down to the river to make observations there. It was dangerously low, the banks exposed to a worrisome degree. Much of their food came from the river by way of fish and if they didn't have that resource and the plants were scorching under the bright sun, what were they going to eat? Rations would need to be put into place regardless but this was escalating to a degree that had Helen wondering if they ought not call a meeting to discuss it. It was something she would certainly be discussing with Mark and Ravi when she got home to see if they ought to bring it to the village at large; her roommates were always a good sounding board for such things.
The bright sun glinted against something bronze and shiny against the dried mud of the riverbed and she picked it up, uncertain of what it could possibly be. It appeared to be some sort of arrowhead but she knew the people here who fletched and made arrows typically used flint for them, not bronze. This was something that didn't seem to fit with the activities that the residents normally engaged in and she slid the arrowhead in her pocket, intending to ask about it once she'd gotten back to the village. Perhaps the others might have a better idea as to what it could possibly be.
iii. ❝ all's right with the world ❞
In spite of the strange happenings of late, some things never changed and one of those things was the need for soap. A village like theirs with about five dozen people, give or take, went through a good bit of soap both for personal bathing and for laundry. It took a lot of Helen's time each week to make soap, cut it, leave it to dry and to distribute that which was ready to be used. Each batch of soap had to be cured for at least three weeks to a month before it could be used but given the bright, beating sun of the past month or so she'd had luck with curing soap for much less time.
"The only good thing to come out of this bloody heat is that I can turn over the soap much faster," Helen muttered, stepping outside the butcher's to get away from the hot lye and fat mixture bubbling over the fire and get some sort of relief. It wasn't coming to her here, given it was nearly as hot outdoors as it was inside, but at least she could fan herself and get a chance to get a few deep breaths without inhaling the scent of soap-in-process.
She slid off her t-shirt, standing in just her bra for the moment, and used the soft cotton to mop off her brow.
no subject
"Okay," she said, nodding slightly. "How about the lye?"
no subject
"Everything is more or less renewable, at least when it comes to making soap. My essential oils will run out eventually unless I get another supply in a box but there's plenty of herbs and things to scent soap with out in the woods."
no subject
Helen was officially cool.
"What do you do besides soap, anyway?"
no subject
"Quite a few things, actually. If there are injuries or illnesses, I try to treat them with what we have. We have a handful of other doctors - myself, Ravi and Beverly are all physicians and Claire and Rory are nurses. I've helped a few others with identifying herbs and things I use for medicines so we can keep our supplies replenished," she explained.
"I wear quite a few hats. It's nice to be able to teach others how to do some of this, though, because if I disappear I want to know that everyone left behind knows how to step into the roles I've left vacant. It's important."
no subject
But as quickly as the excitement came, it dissipated.
"Disappear?"
no subject
"We've lost a few but gained more to replace them. I'm not entirely certain of the rhyme and reason of it."
no subject
Frustrated, she scrubbed her face.
This was good. It was new data. New data was always good. But Sam wasn't quite far gone enough to see human beings as mere data points.
Fuck you, Mom.
"Must be a new condition in the experiment," she muttered.
no subject
"Must be. As far as I can tell, though, I don't know if they return home or if they get taken to another place within this area. The few who have disappeared and come back don't normally have memory of this place. I'd have to talk to more people to ascertain whether or not anyone has left and returned while retaining memories."
It was an interesting avenue to pursue, at least, and Helen hadn't thought of it before now. She would have to chase it down.
no subject
But they sure as fucking hell didn't happen to her.
"Definitely interesting to hear about people making return trips, though."
no subject
It was something she intended to keep an eye on, though, and make observations as time passed.
no subject
At the very least, for the first time, she was starting to feel a little more at home.
Correction: A little more in her depths.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I want you to have my babies."
no subject
Helen laughed a little, utterly startled by that particular proclamation, and shook her head. "Well, I've already had one daughter and I'm not particularly in the market to have another. If you'll settle for a mentor, I'd be happy to take you on as a protege. It's been a few months since I've had one."
Will would have liked the mystery of this place, she thought, but he was still back in her world and somehow Helen had found herself trapped here in this one.
no subject
"I'd like to be able to contribute something," she admitted. "Maybe I can help you with some of your projects."
It was better than sitting around, admiring how very much not on fire she was whenever she walked out into the sunlight.
...that was pretty cool, of course. But. Still.
no subject
"I would appreciate having the help. Just having someone take interest is wonderful," Helen said, trying to express her appreciate at that small thing - the rest was merely the proverbial cherry.
"We'll have to be in touch. As much as I'm able to research this place, I do, and having another brain to put to the task is always welcome."
no subject
...mentor.
Fuck, this had been a weird couple of days.
"Okay," she said. "I'll be around. I'm hard to miss. I'm the one with the blue hair."