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Traipsing around in thick foliage, in mud, gravel, and decaying leaves was hardly a way for someone to get anything good. Unless you were a skilled hunter, it was often better to avoid the woods these days. Not to mention, those who were not used to rugged terrain were prone to getting themselves hurt, injured, or prone to falling ill.

That and Marco guessed that for each time you went into the woods, you had to get at least one rash. Once. Posion oak and ivy and well, fungus got into places they really shouldn’t. So it was that Marco kept treatments for such on his travel pack more often than not. That or the ingredients. To many non traveling types thinking to go see glory hunting wolves only to come crying back a few hours later over a rash they could have avoided had they even known the basics.

He’d come north to help in the efforts as a field doctor, practicing in the towns as needed. Yet today he was ‘in office’. The temporary space he’d rented to be his home and his work space. It had everything he needed. Supplies, a spare bed, close to fresh water, (not that it mattered, snow was abundant), firewood stockpile out back, and nice side area for Somnium. Granted he had to make a makeshift bed inside but still, his guardian would be alright.

Sitting at the cheaply put together desk, Marco busied himself to make ready for tomorrow’s ‘expedition’. Mostly it would just be him waiting for the men who left hunting for wolves to come crying back a few hours later. Or not coming back at all. That too, was a possibility.

Two orders for some therapeutic oils to help with stiff joints, Five orders for ‘whatever will heal a fever’. Marco was quite sure that you couldn’t just.. heal a fever. The body fought it off is what it did. It would right itself. He was half tempted to write that if they wanted such a thing to heal a fever they best look to magic. However, he could prescribe that which would help stave it off and allow the body to recover from what ailed it. Marco’s own mentality of wording aside, he almost didn’t register the door opening.

It was only when Somnium sent him the little mental nag to look that the doctor’s head lifted up. “Hrm?” He hadn’t been paying much attention, so Somnium sent him the image of just what the boy had described. One benefit of taking his guardian with him to previous calls, Somnium knew what things were now and could send him signals to tell him just what he might have missed. Such as blisters.

A glance over, he waved the boy in. “You’re letting the cold air. Come in and sit down over on that bench there. If you can walk still that’s a good sign at the very least.” Either the boy was unused to walking or he had bad boots. Judging from his clothes, Marco was willing to bet that the boots were fitted to him, yet it was possible they might have gotten worn with use to cause rubbing or irritation. He was no shoe maker however, just a doctor.

Looking up, Marco shook his head before motioning to the work on his desk. “On a scale, keeping a man healthy is a little more important than paperwork. Busy or not, I would be a poor doctor to turn away someone in need.” Somnium snorted, giving him a look. Marco’s attitude was terrible, and if the doctor thought Somnium was just going to let that go? Marco had a lot to learn still. Yet the doctor wasn’t thinking much to his words, only to the work that needed to be done.

Getting up he popped his back before going over. Eyes scanned the various cuts and welts before he let out a long sigh. “I’m not going to ask what you went and did, but you ought to perhaps consider not doing it again.” Turning to head to his medical cabinet, the man pulled down a few vials and a tin. Then, after setting those down, he went and got a basin of water and clean cloth. “Clean yourself up a bit. I’ll apply some agents to your cuts to keep them from getting infected and perhaps preventing scars. Then we’ll look at your blisters.” He gave the man a look.

“And if no one had told you, I’m Dr. Marco Rossi. You a noble’s boy?” The man didn’t act much like the noble brats Marco was used to, but, if he was noble born as his clothes and posture suggested, Marco would need to give at least some level of courtesy.

Lifting up a small glass jar to swirl the contents, Marco shook his head. "So you're somebody. Fair enough. I am somebody while being nobody. Thank god for it too." Uncorking the jar, it was poured into the water, a harsh chemical smell rising up in the room.

Looking to Somnium, there was a small chuckle. "Oh no, he's just upset. Think I'm being rude." Making his way over, there was hesitation as Somnium got closer, looking at the man. "Most guardians are rather personable. I've never met one that was well, negative." A small dab to one of the cuts, no doubt with the light sting that would come with. "...So what do you think of them? Guardians and all that?"

"When you have a guardian, people end up calling you for it.Oddly, you notice them more when you're around them. Not to mention, once you know where others are you can either avoid them better or seek them out for advice." Somnium knew what Marco was thinking. He couldn't be blamed for the damage his hooves did to the floor.

"By the way this will sting." A bit of a delayed and useless warning he kept dabbing the cuts changing out the cloth with a new portion once it got too dirty or bloody to clean further. "I found him like anyone finds in anything. On accident. Came up north to help out a patient, went for a walk in the woods and then next thing I knew I had a totem in my hand. I like to think I might have been slightly ill to have gone walking in the woods as I did." Somnium gave a muffled snort, a hint of a laugh could a deer have made one.

Marco dabbed the cloth into the water, ringing it out before resuming cleaning the various wounds. "I actually had a few, though if they were from wandering in the woods or from having to run across town due to some emergency I'm not sure. Likely I had some from both." As the cuts were finished being cleaned he stood, looking down.

"Hmmm. Are you intending to walk a whole lot in the next few days or can you afford to ride?" Depending the man would either have pain or more pain.

"Hm... We wont be needing to worry about a lot of risk to making it worse then. You'll be walking I assume a bit, but not all over. So we'll drain and treat." Slowly and with care, Marco removed the man's shoes, an action that had Somnium getting close, sniffing at the, then making a rather displeased expression. "........." Marco didn't comment on the buck's idiocy.

"You have some nice ones." He said, shaking his head as he went over, taking a small bucket that was already filled with water and placing it over the fire. "We'll give your feet a small soak, washing them off, drain the blister, apply some ointment, bandage you up and you'll be on you way."

As the water warmed. He sighed. "Can't tell you why people find totems. Not what draws them to us of vice versa. All I know is that Somnium helps me in his own way. Now rumors of wolves returning, and I wonder if that's what's begun." A small pause. "We're simply being called to war."

Pulling the bucket from the fire, he set it down to go toss the old water out of the basin, replacing it with the somewhat hot water and bringing it over, tossing in a few oils and soap along the way. "Lower your feet in slowly. And no on is really suited for war. I'm a doctor after all. We don't grow up looking to fight in wars." Somnium snorted, recalling a man who once said war was the war to boost a people's moral.
He'd been somewhat crazy.

"Most of us at any rate."