2024-04-07: Let Us Defeat Infection

• Log: Let Us Defeat Infection
• Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Elisa Kafim, Faiz Kafim, Adharis Kafim, Sashenka Dian, Tri Darma Dian, Maksim Morozov, Makar Morozov
• Where: The Silent Castle, Kaffeklubben Island
• Date: 2024-04-07 (late Feb 0099)
• Summary: Elisa hatches a scheme to get Yuliana to consent to getting her flu shot: involving the family. Stuck between scaring the children and expressing her true feelings about it, Yuliana endures the shot... and assures Elisa, later, that she understands the necessity of all her medical actions. Monitoring her Orchid Cells, taking those blood tests... Yuliana knows it's all to keep her healthy. After all, Elisa will do all, if it's for Yuliana's sake.

---

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Yuliana and Elisa love to feed the geese, of course. This late in February, they're trapped in an eternal twilight; in the middle of the day, it's almost light.

        The geese hide tentacles underneath their green feathers, and they flare out as they flap their wings and honk. Peck peck peck, they strike the icy ground to get at the feed which the Mistresses scatter. They're wild birds, of course, but that doesn't mean they're not loyal. ... well, to a point. They are still, after all, horrible geese.

        Honk!

        But when Elisa suggests that perhaps they could go to the North Wing for some treatment, Yuliana pouts, and whines, "Oh, can't we do it tomorrow?"

        She always wants to put going to the clinic off 'til tomorrow.

        And then, of course, tomorrow comes --

        -- and the family eats together, these days, of course. It was Sashenka's idea, but naturally Yuliana was all for it. They take their breakfast in a dining hall in the residential East Wing; they have a central Banquet Hall, of course, but something like this is more homely.

        (As homely as one gets in a Castle, anyway.)

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

The geese are a delight. Elisa enjoys what has become of them; it makes her want to work more Art. And they came to being because Yuliana wanted them preserved...

Yes.

Elisa suspected that Yuliana would ask for tomorrow. And so she hatched a plan...

"And it is when we are together that it is best to do the things that protect one another," Elisa says, and she is regal as she does, setting down a box on the table.

"The flu season has come once more. It is time to innoculate ourselves."

It's tomorrow, Yuliana. There is no escape.

"Do you children know much of vaccines? I would be pleased to explain how they work."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Yuliana is so delighted by the naughty, naughty geese. Even when they steal her wrenches!

        But -- tomorrow --

        "Aw, yeah! Pizza omelette!!" Maksim crows, as he actually elects to eat his omelette now it's been mixed with pepperoni and ham and cheese. They're of the age to be picky eaters, even now Maksim has turned eight; luckily, Elisa employs excellent chefs. But then there's a box on the table, and...

        "Ummm," the younger Makar says -- he's still five, since his birthday isn't until August. "Innoc-curate... is that when you get more innocent?"

        "Good guess," Yuliana praises him, because she has been teaching them how to pull words apart to understand their meaning. "But this time, it's not about innocence. It's, ah... something in Latin?" That's a guess, and she glances to Elisa to confirm it, as the resident doctor who would know better.

        (She's right, of course. It's all about grafting; originally of plants, and later of mild forms of disease to protect against worse forms.)

        Yuliana is, of course, a lot more nervous than her explanation lets on, because now Elisa is involving the family, and how is she to wriggle out of it now?!

        Maksim doesn't notice the tension behind her smile, though, because he's too busy explaining to his little brother: "C'mon, man, you know this. It's the needles we get. Some kinda medicine or something, but it stops you from getting sick instead of helping you when you get sick. Right?"

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

PIzza omelette is delicious. Elisa has been assured of this, and Maksim seems to think so.

Elisa smiles. This smile is not particularly toothy, though she does have the normal amount. "It's Latin. Once it had to do with plants. But the linguistic aspect is not the most interesting part!"

Elisa knows Yuliana is nervous. This way, she can involve the family, make it more comfortable. And Maksim explains...

"Yes. Just right. It 'trains' your immune system--teaches it what is its enemy, so that it recognizes it and repels it if you risk growing ill!"

Of course she'd explain it in terms of violence.

"However," Elisa says, "This does mean the needle, yes. I will require brave boys to accept this. I, of course, will also accept one. We all will."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Yuliana's smile screws on a little tighter, in the background, as Maksim declares: "I'm brave!!" And Makar, right behind him, puffs out his cheeks and insists: "Hey! I'm brave, too!!"

        "I'm braver!"
        "Nuh-uh! I'M braver!"
        "No, me!"
        "Me!!"

        "Boys!" Sashenka interrupts them, right as Makar looks ready to try and shove Maksim out of his seat. "You will demonstrate your bravery in a moment."

        "Men who insist loudly on their valour have less to speak of," Tri Darma points out, beside her. "Show us with your deeds, not your words."

        And if Yuliana is kind of sinking into her seat at all of this, well, clearly it's just too hot in here. On the Northmost island of Earth. It's definitely the heat.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa smiles. The boys are going to be easy on this. But the boys were not Elisa's concern; she did not imagine it would be difficult to get them to take their injections. But Sashenka and Tri Darma have things to say to them, and Elisa's mother chimes in, "Ho ho! I will witness these deeds!"

She's like that.

Meanwhile, Elisa opens the box; there are syringes inside. "First, of course, I should go. Yuliana," she says. "Will you do my injection? The shoulder is ideal. I cannot reach to do it properly myself."

She can show her wife it's okay by doing it to herself first!

Among other things. "Then I shall do yours, and everyone else in sequence."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Sashenka tilts her head, her babushka's scarf tilting with her. "Yulya, you know how?" She asks, surprised.

        "Of course she knows how," Tri Darma says, a touch gruff. "She was special operations -- it's standard officer training to go over basic field medicine. There isn't always an extraction point you can bring your wounded, behind enemy lines."

        "Yeah, of... of course," Yuliana speaks up, finally, though she sounds a little faint. "We had to know, so it's... fine."

        "Auntie Yulya," Maksim hears it, "are you... scared of needles?"

        "Haha..." OBVIOUSLY SHE IS. "There's nothing to be worried about!" Yuliana insists, voice tight, as she stands up to move beside Elisa. "Like this -- see? We just, um..."

        Her voice dies, as she holds a needle in her hand and puts the other on Elisa's shoulder to steady herself. Of course she's not going to faint in front of the children. That would be... terrible...

        ... Elisa might have to explain the process, though, as she grits her teeth behind her smile, draws up the medicine, and injects it in. Entirely the wrong amount, but at least she injected it into the right part. (With terrible technique. If Elisa weren't who she is, it would hurt terribly.)

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"And I shall walk her through it," Elisa says. Faiz smiles. "You always did like to share your knowledge..."

Elisa pauses, and then inclines her head. Yuliana does sound a little faint; Adharis notices. But she doesn't intervene. Instead--

"Like so; once you have the medicine, press against my arm, and gently press. Then..."

It does hurt, distantly. Elisa feels it! It is a gift. It's fine.

"There," Elisa says, and begins to get the medicine into the next syringe. "It is your turn, my darling. We shall not fear 'flu' this season!"

Elisa didn't cry out, of course. She wouldn't.

"Just trust to me..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "Yeah," Yuliana says, and doesn't quite trust herself to say anything else.

        She at least sits herself down in her chair, beside Elisa, again. And Tri Darma is the one who sees it -- sees the way she grasps the armrests, as if patiently allowing restraints, the way she bows her head to avoid looking the scientists in the eye.

        He was a Major himself; he saw his own share of projects, even if the REA's projects were a little different, back in his day.

        But Yuliana takes a breath -- it shudders -- and she assures herself it's different, this time; how could it be done to her when she just did it to Elisa? And surely Elisa can tell her breath has quickened, can see the way her fingers grasp the armrests, but she doesn't cry out or cry; she doesn't fling whatever's closest to hand at Elisa for making the attempt, or clutch herself to herself too tightly to be treated.

        Which is, well -- for Yuliana -- it's a good result.

        "I trust you," she says, but faintly.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa knows full well Yuliana's reaction to these things. She's tried to develop a means to aerosolize the flu vaccine like the other medicines, but it changes too frequently for a single solution to fit. She lacks the resources to make such a thing, if it is possible at all.

Elisa approaches--she says, "Good," she says of trust, and places her free hand gently on Yuliana's shoulder, before doing the injection. It is smooth, simple, and not at all hard.

Naturally, these things hurt a little, but Elisa has Yuliana's safety at utmost in mind.

"Only this one, and then..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Elisa does her best to make these things easier on Yuliana, even though Yuliana makes it so hard for her...

        The feeling of the needle brings that faint feeling back, head swimming; oh, it doesn't hurt that much, but it's the associations. Her head rocks back, against the headrest, with a deep and shuddering breath.

        "Okay... this..."

        This one, she might have said, before she faints.

        "Oh," Maksim says. "I guess she was scared of needles..."

        "Is it scary?" Makar asks, nervously.

        "You said you were brave!" Maksim huffs.

        "Hey!" Makar whines. "I am! I am brave!!"

        Luckily, it's not so hard to give them their shots -- or their parents, at that. Yuliana elects to keep her eyes closed, even after consciousness returns to her; she takes the opportunity to disengage.

        At least... until everyone is properly taken care of, and the elders usher the children from the room, surely.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Yuliana faints, of course, and Elisa is there to catch her. "Your Aunt Yuliana is quite brave herself, to face something unpleasant. I am certain that you can follow her example."

It's not hard; Elisa gives everybody their shots, Yuliana's parents and her parents and all. And when the others leave--Faiz and Adharis too--

She sits down next to Yuliana again.

"Thank you," she says. "I could not bear for illness to take you. But I know that it is difficult, for you to accept medicine in this form."

"It is why I ensured that you would have support. ...Perhaps it is well, to rely on 'family' in this way, too."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "Oh..." Yuliana sighs, as her eyes scrunch up, and she looks to her wife, reaching across to grasp her hand. "Oh, Elya, that was a dirty trick! You knew I couldn't protest in front of the children...!" She's whining, but she squeezes Elisa's hand, anyway.

        Her frills lower, as she tilts her head. "But... but I know you worry... so I can't really blame you. I know it's meant to help me... I just get so scared, Elya. I remember what happened, before... though I know you'd never harm me." She can't go so far as to say she'd never hurt her, given how that injection stung, but it was for a good reason. Isn't it fine if it's for a good reason?

        "Do you think... they think less of me?" She worries, openly, and perhaps Elisa can tell she means her parents. Particulary as she goes on, "I haven't told them about... a lot of the details... it's too hard."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

She is whining! Elisa squeezes Yuliana's hand, too. "I do worry," she says. "And I know that you are afraid. I have tried to find a way that would be less frightening... But for this medicine, I have not found it."

Harm, not hurt. That's an important distinction.

"I understand."

Then--Elisa shakes her head. "I do not. Perhaps they did not realize how difficult such things were for you, but you faced that difficulty with grace. There is no reason to think any less of you at all."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "I know... you try so hard for me, Elya." Yuliana smiles, to her wife, as well as she can muster.

        It's all right. She's safe. Elisa wouldn't harm her. Just because it was a needle, it doesn't mean she's going for an experiment. Elisa wouldn't treat her like an experiment. It's fine.

        And as she tells herself that, as she continues trying to reassure herself, she weaves her fingers through Elisa's, grasping her hand tightly.

        "Was it... was it fine? I was sure they could tell... I didn't feel graceful, Elya. Just, oh, light-headed... isn't it embarrassing?" She takes a breath, and it hitches, as she sighs. "Even when I'm at Yaka's," the Photon Power Labs, "a lot of times, they want to do things and I, I get scared..."

        (Elisa has fielded many phone calls from her panicked wife who really doesn't want to get a scan done, or, god forbid, bloodwork. Sometimes she throws things. She doesn't tend to hurt anyone, but she can be forgiven for that.)

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"I will do all, for you."

Elisa would not tenderly hold an experiment's hand, or soothe her at that hitching breath. "I imagine not," she says. "You cannot see your own bravery at times. ...Your family--our family--can see that."

She gets scared... Yes, Elisa has fielded many of those.

"I understand," she says. "And I put these things as far as I can. But sometimes... It is necessary."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "No woman is luckier than me," Yuliana says, her smile warming, as Elisa assures her just how much she'll do. "To have such a wonderful wife..."

        Elisa's palm is cool, in her hand, but it's a steadying sort of coolness. Cool-headed and wise, Yuliana knows her wife looks ahead, where she lives in the moment. She's grateful.

        And... she's braver than she thinks. "You're right..."

        (Elisa is, generally speaking, right.)

        "Of course... it's necessary." Yuliana smiles, to her, squeezing her hand. "You're so clever, Elya. Making sure to think of these things... you're always thinking ahead. I know... I know you can't always avoid it, for me. Like monitoring the Cells," that's why she thinks Elisa takes them, "or checking my blood... I know there's no better way. It's not your fault... I know you do your best, zhenushka."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"Perhaps I am," Elisa contests. "For my wife is also wonderful..."

Elisa can be very cool. She looks ahead; she moves forward. And together...

Well, she is often right.

"Yes," Elisa says. "We must always be sure that they do not overtake, as she wished. And we must ensure that you are healthy."

She smiles. "...I do this for you. And I will continue to do this for you."

She need not mention all the things she does for her.