The next thing Karmen feels is the light pat of Saaresto's hand on her cheek, snapping her out of her trance state. They're sitting in the entrance chamber of Batoidea. The new patients had been brought in and Winston was doing his best to process them in her stead.
She doesn't think she fell asleep, but she'd certainly lost track of the three days it took to get home. Two fresh pinpricks in the crook of her elbow suggest that she'd at least been aware enough to treat against the venom still in her veins. Her arm still burns with it.
"Ah. We're back. Good," she says. "How are Maggie and the others?"
"They're fine," Winston assures her. "You don't look well, though."
"I have a snake I need to feed." She looks over at Pierce. "Would you mind overseeing the intake while I work? We could see if Bhoedin is ready to cover my part." Poor Winston looks as if he doesn't know where to start and he keeps glancing toward his measuring tape. She also notices that Pierce still has his wings tightly wound together and coated in armament haki. Had he maintained that the entire way home? He must be exhausted. Maybe he should sleep instead.
"Hold on a moment," Saaresto says, halting her as she attempts to stand. "Camilla said that snake almost killed you. I wouldn't believe it if your arm wasn't the size of your head. I need to check you over."
It's only then that she notices that her forearm is as round as a cantaloupe. Saaresto had cut her diving suit back to get a better view and relieve pressure. She hadn't noticed the discoloration that had spread to her wrist and hand before because it's a sickly shade of purple that blends in well with the black of her suit. She doesn't feel much from it, which probably isn't a good sign.
"Right. Walk and examine, dearie. It would seem that I might need a second pair of hands." When he doesn't seem satisfied with her response, she inclines her chin toward her arm. "If it looks this bad after I treated the initial reaction, then I need to get an antidote as soon as possible."
She leaves out that she might have been tripping on snake venom all the way home. She needs more data before she can draw any conclusions. The dazzling draw of research almost makes her forget about her arm.
"I'll be treating you, so grab someone else," he says.
"Camilla, dear, would you like to be my lab assistant?"
The girl happily steps away from the crowd and follows them down the tunnels. Karmen collects Tuna along the way.
They reach the lab and Karmen instantly sets to work. With Camilla's help, they milk the green, banded viper and collect several slides of venom to examine under the microscope. The rest is given to Tuna. The squid's scales instantly become ridged and raised as he turns a vivid green from head to tentacle. Karmen notes the distinct difference between him and the banded snake before her.
She also notes that the snake is much more docile than it was on the island. Karmen doesn't have any trouble handling her and she shows no signs of aggression. In fact, when they're done the viper lets out a big yawn and coils down to sleep.
Saaresto moves independently of their work, taking Karmen's vitals, examining the bite, and discussing with himself whether or not a fasciotomy will be required, chastising her for not being more careful. In the end, he draws a circle around the swelling and watches to see how fast it's expanding.
Tuna deposits several spines into a mortar Karmen holds out. When he's finished, she crushes these with a pestle until they're a thick paste. This she puts into a distillation apparatus that had been left ready to use. She sets a low flame under the distilling flask and leans back in her chair to let it work.
"Normally this process would take half a year, minimum," Karmen says proudly. "We'd have to inject small doses of venom into an animal and then harvest the antibodies it develops. All the materials would have to be kept frozen. Tuna truly revolutionizes the process." She tickles his chin affectionately. "You're probably going to save my arm, little buddy."
Tuna happily nuzzles into her hand, giving her a broad grin.
"And it's completely unfair that you can process that venom already while I can't," she continues teasingly. "Your biology is truly incredible."
The potted squid dances with her praise, making everyone smile, even Saaresto, though he tries to cover it.
"Anyway," Karmen says, turning back to the doctor, "do we have prenatal vitamins?"
He raises a surprised eyebrow at her. "I know you're a young woman, but I'd sooner be speared by Kudra than assume that it is you who's…?"
She shakes her head. "One of the new patients. Maggie."
"I see. No, we don't," he answers. "We could get some from another island, but I don't know the closest one with a doctor or a pharmacy. "We could just manage it with a good diet."
"Really?" Karmen says. "What kind of things do pregnant people eat?"
"Oh for the love of Kudra," Camilla exclaims loudly. "It's a baby, not a puppy. I'll make a menu for the kitchen staff to use and make sure she gets the best pick from the garden. And we should see if there's a midwife on the island."
Karmen and Saaresto exchange a look. "Well, if you'd like to take charge, then we won't stand in your way," Karmen says slowly, somewhat relieved.
"We can also use haki to monitor the baby's health and growth," she continues with satisfaction. Still, there's an anxiety to Camilla's words and a tension to her muscles that leaves Karmen concerned. "This is a lot of responsibility. Are you sure you want to take that on?"
"It's fine," she says softly. "I've been- I have recent experience with this sort of thing."
Karmen glances between Saaresto and Camilla and clears her throat. "Saaresto, dear. It should be about time for you to begin new patient health screening, isn't it?" she asks. "Maggie's significant other will be pushing her to the front of the line. Don't you worry about me, dear. As soon as this antivenom is distilled I'll be fine."
He glances at a steel pocket watch and nods. "I'll come back and take fresh vitals when I'm finished," he says.
"Close the door when you leave. I don't want my new snake friend to get out."
When the door is tightly shut, she swivels her chair around to Camilla.
"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" she asks softly. "I've noticed that you always avoid interacting with the children on the island. Why are you so suddenly interested in this pregnancy?"
Camilla's lips pinch together with restrained emotion. "It's too much for me to talk about right now," she says slowly, "but I want… I need for this pregnancy to be a success."
Karmen dips her head and leans toward her. "I'm not sure if I understand just yet, but I'll trust your passion. Please let us know if you need any help or feel overwhelmed in this undertaking."
The girl is quiet for a moment, then rubs her arms. "There's something else. I'm not ready to go out on missions with you. Not yet," she says. "I snapped at you and broke down. There are things I need to resolve so that I can have a level head as your proxy. I wanted to be ready, but I'm not."
"That's mature of you and I understand your feelings," Karmen says. "Know that I am not disappointed by any of your actions. You did quite well for your first mission. I believe that once you work through whatever it is holding you back, you will make a great leader."
"Thank you, Karmen. It means a lot," she says in a low voice. "May I have your permission to observe some of the women here for a special project?"
Karmen's eyebrow rises with curiosity. "What project might that be?"
"I might not be ready, but with some training others might be," she says. "I was hoping that a few of the women might want to be in a special unit. We've been learning self-defense, but I want to train them to be offensive. Perhaps they could eventually help on the missions so we don't get overwhelmed as we did in the jungle."
Karmen leans back and rubs her chin in consideration, cradling her swollen arm to her stomach. "Why only women?"
"There is a poison in us. I think some of us can learn to use that. I want them to be confident enough to strike with non-lethal force if the need arises," she responds, meeting Karmen's eye. "I want it to sting. I want it to hurt so much that anyone will think twice any time they deem another person's value and dreams below their own."
Whatever Camilla had reacted to on the island, it is clearly the fuel behind her current words. If aimed in the wrong direction, the pain behind the motive may take over and lead to further suffering. That being said, it's not a bad idea. It just has to be done right.
"You may observe them and make your selections," Karmen says after a moment. "But you are not to approach them until you've resolved those things holding you back. Is this agreeable?"
"Yes, Lady Karmen," she says, bowing respectfully.
"And you are to double your therapy sessions with Saaresto. I know you're still unsure about him, but I believe it will be good for you."
She flinches slightly but nods when she straightens. "I understand."
Camilla stays with Karmen until the finished antidote is administered. When the bite wound is dressed and wrapped, she leaves to go check the gardens, taking Tuna with her. Karmen picks up the canister containing the snake and thinks for a good place to house her.
As she sweeps the island with her haki, she notices Pierce sitting alone in an odd position in the intake chamber. Curious, she locks her lab door and moves to check on him. She finds him with his arms and legs wrapped around a small barrel, his head draped over the lid. His back is flat against the wall and his wings are loosely draped around his shoulders.
He lifts his ear in her direction as she approaches. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better, if a bit tired. Thank you for asking, dear," she says, sitting beside him. "What about you? It doesn't look like you've had any sleep either."
"I was planning on sleeping soon, but I wanted to give you these first." He pats the barrel. "I knew you were too busy to bring anything back with you from this trip, so I tried to catch one of everything I heard. They quieted down over the trip, so I don't know what state they're in. I didn't think it was smart to handle them alone with you dealing with one bite already."
Her weariness and weakness forgotten, joy bubbles up inside Karmen. "That's very considerate of you, Pierce. Thank you."
She kneels beside him and puts her face close to the barrels' side. It still smells strongly of the jerky it had recently contained. She lets her haki hone on the space within, waiting to see what myriad of life is inside now. Her grin fades in confusion, however, when she finds only one life form inside.
"Pierce, dear, how many creatures did you say you caught?"
He tilts his head back, trying to remember an accurate count. "I'd say at least fifty things. I was grabbing them quickly, so I didn't catch much detail. There were snakes, lizards, spiders, bugs, scorpions... Anything I could, really."
"Well that is interesting then," she says, letting her fingers climb up to the lid. "There's only one creature left."
"Did they die? I thought I was giving them plenty of air. Did they get away somehow?" Pierce asks, looking paler than usual. "I swear I never opened my wings except to contain them here."
"I don't think any of that is the case," she says. She pries off the lid and peeks in. "I believe they were eaten."
Pierce gives his stomach a tired and confused look. "I know I haven't slept in a while, but I would remember if I'd eaten all of that."
Karmen chuckles. "No, I think this dear ate all the others."
Inside the barrel is a large viper with a wide, arrow-shaped head and a body so stuffed that it lazily sits there, flicking its tongue slowly. Its scales are a marbled, mossy green that would camouflage well with jungle stones. Its stomach is a muddy brown. The very tip of its tail is white.
Pierce is quiet for a moment. "Is it safe to keep it here on the island?"
"I wonder…" Karmen carefully removes the smaller viper from its canister and presents it to the one in the barrel. They perk up with interest, flicking their tongues out and gliding from side to side. When they decide they're familiar with each other, they nuzzle their cheeks. The banded viper slides out of Karmen's hands and nuzzles in the coils of the other.
"That's… unexpected," Pierce says. "You don't think they'll fight when they get hungry, do you?"
She shakes her head. "I think there was something aggravating them in the jungle. There's plenty to eat here other than themselves," she says. "And I have a plan to keep them away from people. Come." She pats him lightly on the shoulder. "Join me on the surface."
He rises with her as she carries the snakes out of the tunnels. Patients look between them and her still-swollen arm, bewildered. She thinks she even senses one person running toward Saaresto's office. The snakes, however, are perfectly content to rest coiled around her arms as she transports them.
"I think I'll call this one Gu," she says, holding up the green viper, "and this one Kodoku," she says, holding up the banded viper. "They'll make excellent additions to my research team and I know the perfect new home for them."
She leads the way to the forest on the other side of the island. Moving branches of a cluster of bushes aside, she reveals a pit with steep sides. One that's still open to the sky. Mice, scorpions, and lizards skitter around deep inside. There are miniature caves and tunnels that lead into the topsoil, but not much further.
Karmen slides down the side and releases Gu and Kodoku at the bottom. While she watches them explore and soak in the sun, she releases a burst of haki. Minutes pass before the ground above slithers with movement. Materializing out of the brush, a small group of camomorphic squid poke their heads over to grin down at her.
"Hello dears," Karmen says up to them. "Would you mind guarding this pit and making sure none of the patients enter it? I don't want our new friends to be disturbed."
They nod and position themselves around the opening, digging their tentacles deep into the rock shelf until they look like part of the greenery. And with that, the mission truly feels complete.
Karmen climbs out slowly, not wanting to show how much her arm has begun to hurt as she begins to regain regular blood flow. She can at least see normal color slowly returning to her fingers as she reaches above her head for rock after rock. Once she's halfway up, the squid help ferry her to the top, biting her clothes gently and tugging her up. Pierce grabs her good arm and hoists her the rest of the way out.
She breathes heavily and lets herself slump to the ground. He follows her, offering his back for support. "I believe we will be useless to our patients if we do not get some rest, Mistress," he says.
She leans her head back on his shoulder and closes her eyes he mirrors the motion. "I could use some sleep. It sure is good to be home."