As much as Veld was enjoying the poetry in motion that was the three men sparring, Kunsel's words wouldn't leave him be. He ended up excusing himself, giving Vincent a fleeting smile of reassurance before ducking out of the training room and heading for medical.
It wasn't hard to find Rayleigh, coming out of Cloud's room, and it was clear something had immediately given away that he wanted to talk. Then again, he wasn't exactly one for just coming down to medical to visit unless one of his people was there. And as fond as he was of Aerith, it wasn't that sort of bond.
"What can I do for you, Director?" Rayleigh asked.
"If you've got a minute, I'd like to speak privately," Veld said.
She arched a brow, but led the way back to her office. When the door was closed, she waved him towards a chair, settling at her desk, and waited patiently for him to speak first. He admired that.
"You've looked over my daughter's medical file," he said, more confirmation than any sort of question. Rayleigh nodded anyway. "What are your thoughts on extracting the materia Hojo implanted?"
"Theoretically, it should be a simple surgery," Rayleigh said. "The literal, physical extraction should be simple enough, it wasn't a terribly complex insertion to begin with."
"But you foresee complications," Veld said.
"There is a condition commonly referred to as 'psychic shock' that can occur related to materia use, particularly related to materia dependency - part of why regular materia use is something to be carefully monitored," she said. "When one overuses materia, it can cause a multitude of ailments. Burnout is common for those who overuse it in a short period of time, where it can damage your magic channels. But extended, long term regular usage has its dangers, even if you're not using it in great amounts. The most common problem is magic fatigue, which is the same principle as muscle fatigue, coming about from overuse. But there is also magic dependency, most commonly seen in people who regularly have curative materia used on them, but also seen in people who've spent extended periods of time casting regularly."
"So what, an addiction?" Veld said.
"Essentially, yes," she agreed. "Both the use of materia, and having materia used on you creates a temporary high, though one is much more noticeable than the other. Curative boosts your serotonin, it's a notable 'feel-good' high. Using materia, however, gives an adrenaline high. As you're no doubt aware, this increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your system. In extreme cases, the user becomes a candidate for heart trouble; even someone with an immune system as robust as a SOLDIER can potentially have a heart attack."
"I would assume she's at risk for that, then," Veld said.
"Definitely. But once the body is used to extensive and regular materia usage, you can't safely just quit," Rayleigh explained. "That's one place where psychic shock comes in. Psychic shock is essentially any sudden mental strain, and can even be occasionally used when referencing emotionally-based shock. When I use it, I almost exclusively reference magic-based shock. That can come from sudden overuse, such as an unexpected limit break or someone casting a spell above their magic levels, or from suddenly ceasing use, such as an interrupted high level spell or the sudden withdrawal from using it regularly to not using it at all."
"And given she's been attached to an active materia all this time, it's reasonable to assume removal would send her into psychic shock," Veld said grimly.
"It wouldn't immediately, I don't think," Rayleigh said. "I make no promises, she's a unique case. It may be possible, however, to have her regularly, manually cast spells of decreasing power until she's weaned off it. That's the general protocol for SOLDIERs who are in that condition."
"There's really not another option, is there?" Veld said. "She has to have it removed, or it's going to kill her."
"Yes," Rayleigh said. "I don't even think enhancement would be enough to prevent long-term consequences. It's phenomenal she's survived this long, frankly."
"We also don't know what condition she's actually in," Veld said. "She'd looked tired. But I think that's merited, considering what all has happened."
"So it's hard to say what all is factoring in, yes," she agreed. "But I would guarantee magic fatigue. No one alive has the stores to have an active materia for over a decade and not be exhausted, even if it was a subtle pull on their reserves."
"It may have been, but it can't be now that she's active, fighting the likes of SOLDIER," Veld said.
"No, I wouldn't think so," Rayleigh said. "That's significant mental and physical strain."
Veld was silent a moment. "What are the odds that could feed into amnesia?"
Rayleigh arched a brow. "I wouldn't have expected it to cause amnesia, but it could certainly complicate things. A strained mind doesn't recover quickly from anything. I take it she's exhibited symptoms?"
"She remembered me when she saw me, but not her name when Vincent mentioned it. Not the bombing, either, which should have left an impression," Veld said.
"Retrograde amnesia," Rayleigh said. "Or at least I'd assume, since it appears she can remember more recent things. It's the inability to remember things from a specific period of time back."
"I'm familiar." Veld frowned. "What can we do for it?"
"It depends on the cause of it," she said. "If it's emotional or mental trauma, therapy can help. If it was literal, physical trauma, treating the trauma may help. But I have no guarantees. It's not a fully understood disorder with a neat solution. I'm sorry."
Veld nodded slightly. He'd honestly expected that much, but it was still unpleasant news to hear. "It is what it is. I'm just glad you can do something about the materia. We can handle anything else from there."
"I should be able to, yes," she agreed. "So long as we're able to wean her off materia usage as mentioned. It's not something she can just stop. Not after all this time."
"I recognize that." Veld bit back a sigh. "Thank you for your input, Professor. How's Strife improving?"
"Amazingly well, which I can only attribute to the awakening of his bond," Rayleigh said. "He shouldn't be improving this quickly. Not that I'm complaining, I'm thrilled."
"But it's unnatural," Veld said.
"Very much so," she agreed. "There is no scientific backing for what just happened between them."
Veld smiled faintly. "Your favorite sort of phenomena, I'm sure."
"It just means we have more to learn, as a scientific community," she said.
"Always more to learn," Veld agreed. "Well. I leave you to it."
"Of course. Do take care, Director," she said.
"You too." He was somewhat less than surprised to find Vincent waiting when the elevator opened. "Please tell me that you haven't been riding that thing since I left."
"My timing is just that good," Vincent deadpanned.
Veld snorted, stepping in and hitting the button for the Turk floor. "Done with the SOLDIERs?"
"For now," Vincent said. "Was the Professor of any help?"
"She was informative," Veld said.
"Fun." Vincent arched a brow at the look he was given, a tiny smile curving his lips.
Veld snorted and shook his head, watching the floors tick by. "As if I have time for that."
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Vincent said. He didn't speak again until they'd reached Veld's office, perching lightly on his desk. "Will she be able to help?"
"Theoretically," Veld said. "It's not like there's a known precedent here."
"Fair." Vincent was silent a moment, watching him sort reports. "Do you think you can talk her into staying?"
"Somehow, I imagine she'll be a harder sell than you," Veld said.
"…will you force her to stay?" Vincent asked quietly.
It was Veld's turn to be silent, staring unseeingly at the papers in his hands. "I suppose that's the question, isn't it. Do I have that right? She's a grown woman now."
"She's dying," Vincent said, painfully gentle.
"I know." It wasn't news. It still hurt. To think that he could lose her, on the cusp of getting her back - "God, I know, Vincent."
Vincent made a soft sound, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. "Talk it out?"
Veld sighed, rubbing his face. "I want her back."
"Of course you do," Vincent said. "She's your daughter."
"I have no idea if she actually wants anything to do with me, or if she just wants to sate her curiosity," Veld admitted.
"Can that be enough?" Vincent asked. "If she's willing to talk to you, does it matter why?"
"I… it's a start?" He hedged.
"You can build on that," he pointed out.
Veld nodded slowly. "Yeah… assuming she wants more than one conversation."
"And that's the rub," Vincent said. "We can't guarantee that."
"No," he agreed softly. "We can't."
All he could do was hope, and he was severely out of practice.