The modicum of calm she discerned from her charge was a good sign, noted Isane cautiously with an inward sigh of relief. Eventually the devastation of the day and the trauma Rukia had undergone would sink in, but Isane hoped that would only catch up after the sedatives had kicked in and her patient had had some rest. They had a small moment of respite in the present. It would be foolish to squander it when everybody would be on their feet soon enough, pending further developments of the current situation. Troubles always came in threes, her old mentor had once told her, and it was something Isane had regretfully observed to be true for the most part. If this opening salvo was anything to go by, worse was yet to come. However, she held her tongue on such dark thoughts as they would be antipathetic to the already depressed spirits of her patient, particularly one she regarded as a friend who would have to face the bellicosity of the opposing forces again.
āSo I do,ā she acknowledged with a bitter smile, reflecting there might be some truth to the younger officers quipping she was the aunt to the Fourth just as Captain Unohana had been its mother. She briefly wondered if she was taking her mother hen tendencies too far, but abandoned the notion at the lack of visceral complaints from Rukia. Not wanting to distress the smaller female, an answering closed-lip smile was proffered in response to the self-deprecatory chuckle. āOur concern for anyone under our care or supervision doesnāt stop. Over-protectiveness is an occupational hazard among some of us here. We canāt help it. We do what we need to here, and you and the rest do what you need to do out there. I thinkā¦ despite our different raison d'ĆŖtre, itās times like these when we each need to something familiar because weād go mad or madder, in certain cases, if we werenāt keeping busy.ā
āSurviving is a good thing,ā she echoed more bracingly, darting an askance glance at Rukia, fearful that it was leading the latter into low thoughts again. āIt means you can take the time to heal, regroup, rethink, re-strategise, gain perspective and grow stronger to head out again another day. You canāt do that if youāre dead. Donāt mind me. Iām rubbishing. Other Divisions take a more forthright approach in the field.ā At the reference to Captain of the Sixth, the hand that had been patting Rukia stilled. Should she reveal the harsh reality, concentrate on soothing her patient or forge a middle path between them? Or a little of all those options?
āWell, youāre both in no condition to move or be moved just yet,ā came the automatic reply as she mentally assessed the physical conditions of both the Kuchikis. Cogitating over the matter for a few seconds, she settled for a middle ground that melded being economical with the truth and palliating her friendās anxieties. āYour brother is still unconscious as he has been put through a lot. The Captain worked on him personally and is tending to him, so you may rest easy that he is receiving the best possible care,ā she outlined truthfully while omitting the details of all to which the man had been subjected in the field and on the operating table. āIf Captain Kuchiki was awake, he would surely want to see you in better spirits than worried over him. When heās conscious in a few daysā time, Iāll ask the Captain if you may be allowed to see him. But in the interest of both your recoveries, moving either of you is inadvisable at present.ā Catching sight of Rukiaās tight grip on the sheets, she patted the hands and added in a conspiratorial whisper more for levity than any actual soothing: āHeās not looking his best now but if you believe our matron, heās too handsome too die. Not much of him is visible above the bandages, but the nurses still go to fuss over him because they wouldnāt get to look at him up close on normal days. I hope theyāre not molesting him too much.ā
An exaggerated sigh of dismay escaped Isane at the mock chastisement. āWell, if I said you rivalled a peony in bloom right now, you would know Iām lying. Even on usual days, youāre more a chamomile than a peony.ā She feigned a little pout but interjected more seriously as she continued. āBe the chamomile. Itās a small flower but incredibly hardy. It can be trod upon and driven over, but it will always pop back up again.ā With this well-meaning attempt to rally her patient, she helped Rukia settle back into bed when she saw the telltale signs of leaning back. At least Rukia was proving easier to handle than the some of the unrulier soldiers from the other Divisions, Isane mused, grateful for this much in the current time when she was beginning to feel mentally drained.
Her eyes darted up as further queries were levelled at her. Here, she could be entirely honest with the facts. āAccording to our first responders, about half the buildings are untouched, everything else is still standing but severely damaged. We have had casualties across all Divisions, with some worse hit than others. They seemed to be targeting either the ones who were trained to be the first line of defence or the ones who canāt defend themselves effectively to clear the way for better control over the lay of the land,ā she disclosed, a frown creasing her brow as she analysed the details she knew from the patientsā records and snatches of conversation she had heard from the other officers and staff nurses. On hindsight, she hazarded an educated guess that their adversaries were vigorously forcing pawn exchanges for the sake of capturing more valuable pieces and forcing their way to the centre of the board. It would appear that her old mentor had been right about the complete lack of niceties in blitz chess. She shook her head and admitted, āThe Captain said thatās to be expected when weāre dealing with a group who donāt play by the rules.ā
The smile at the flicker of Rukiaās customary cheer at the thought of visitors turned into a poorly smothered giggle, though she did her best to purse her lips. āIn extenuating circumstances, people have been known to employ methods they usually wouldnāt,ā she explained rather obliquely, covering the blanket more properly over her friend. āRest now and Iāll see whoās out there and send them in for you.ā
There was a reason that it seemed rare enough for the high positions to simply go into retirement. To get that far seemed to require some amount of stubbornness, if not some kind of resolved will beyond human. Most of all the captains tended to see it through until death or some other awful fate. But Rukia knew that having constants was really the ease through all of that. āMaybe youāre right about that. And I doubt these are any habits weāll be breaking soon either.ā For the moment the familiar constant of slumber and the feel of a soft bed and blanket was beginning to pull Rukia to it, slumping her shoulders just a bit more beneath the covers.
Rukia recognizes the concern Isane has in her words, but only lets out a struggling bit of a chuckle as she assures her. āI wasnāt disagreeing with that idea, donāt worry yourself.ā She lifts her head as she talks, feeling well enough in this moment to speak her own advice. āIf you worry your head about everything a patient might think you are going to overbear yourself very quickly and for problems that might not even be there.ā Rukia might have trailed off before, but she was just remembering: remembering when surviving was the only thing she had to worry about. Itās changed a lot since then, much more for the better, she reckons. The way Isane tries to get her to think better of surviving reminds her of someone else. At this point it might be a bit of herself, but Isane is definitely missing the confidence in sticking with the words sheās trying to drive. āThough if youāre going to try and change someoneās mind on a matter, Iād suggest filling your words with a bit more conviction as you go instead of second guessing yourself.ā
As she listens, Rukia rubs at her eye a little, from tiredness or something else itās unspoken, before nodding. She had expected care of course, learning that much earlier. The word unconscious hits her a bit differently this time, getting a particular thinking āhmmā out of her. Shutting her eyes with a breath, Rukia tries to take better comfort in the replacement she uses of āaliveā and āunder the best careā this time. It doesnāt quell her body as much as she hopes it does, but it eases her mind. She canāt help but think, frowning as she does, if her brother is unconscious it would be nice to be there when he comes to. But Rukia holds her tongue at Isaneās reminder of her own state. As her mind and body are opposing sides, her mind wanting to rid itself of horrific imagery imprinted on it, and her body trying to hold itself together and rebuild itself so she can be there for those who need her, she tries to consider, which of the two was stronger? Her concerns or her obligations to follow through on what her brother would wish for? In this moment, as she is thinking of him, her shoulders sagging, she feels the push to try and use the wishes she pictures her brother would want rather than the easy selfish desires she clung to fill so hastily. And then, with a decision, she tries to push herself to will the reality of being there when he comes to as nothing but a nice thought and not a need that she wants to hold on to tightly. At the mention of a few days sheās setting up a mental countdown, either to be better by, or the check in again on her brotherās state. What follows catches her off guard, exasperating all knots she had placed upon her spine, waking her from any semblance of lulling her to sleep. āIs that a thing? A-Are you sure I should be hearing such things?!ā Is it the proper thing to nod along to such things? Maybe later she will be able to see it more as him receiving more than enough attention as a patient. But while itās not excitement, those words by themselves might have been disruptive enough to get her heart beating and face reddening and blood pumping. Putting her hand upon her chest, she feels the beating of her heart, trying to will it to calm, knowing that the rhythm there threatens both her recovering wounds as well as the composure she would like to possess. She tries to will in one more request on the matter, somewhat shyly. āā¦P-Please make sure nothing untoward occurs with my brother. Heā No, I donāt think I could handle the idea.āĀ
The analogies of flowers are mostly lost to her, earning Isane more of a confused glance more than anything. Most of the details are unclear on her, but she can at least nod to the bigger picture. āA chamomile? Is there much of a difference?ā Rukia was honestly not too familiar with too many flowersā names beyond a few particular ones that striked her fancy, and even with those, she doesnāt always take the time to ask for their names. Asking her to be a flower rings a bit closer to old notes during the times of her education to become a noble. Rukia preferred the more straightforward notes, but there was a sense of poeticness to it if you squinted. And with Isane, she seemed to find a sort of flow in that advice more than the earlier set. If Rukia had to pick one, she would much prefer this one, and it even earns her a tinge of a soft smile. āIāll take being a chamomile. Whatever that looks like.ā
Her brows furrow, hand rising to her chin in thought as she considers the numbers given to her. Itās the furrowing of her brows that starts to feel like some kind of headache or signal of her body to alleviate herself from taking much more on. Instead of obeying the will of her body, she tries to relax her face, which is harder than she assumes. āNo, that all makes sense, just much sooner than Iād have expected.ā Sheās grown used to going to the territory of the enemy so itās been unusual for it to be on their own homeland. For an assault on their own territory the strategy has been implemented masterfully, and the speed and surprise of it surely had been considered as well. She sighs, trying to pull the emotion out of it, but even just translating lives into numbers has a harshness to it. That thought is something sheāll have to rally her squad around, once she sees how many of them are left. Rather than thinking too hard, Rukia nods, letting herself accept Isaneās offer to seek company, resting her eyes for two seconds, then three, letting the thoughts pass rather than considering them for too long. Between each moment she glances at the door, waiting, until her eyes feel heavy and she can no longer bear keeping her stiffening her body upright.
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