MINGLE - Blood Drive!

[save_the_souls]

Who: Anyone Participating in the Blood Drive!
Broadcast:
Action: Open to All!
When: BACKDATED TO LAST SUNDAY, March 15th

[Hey remember that whole Blood Donation network post that came up a few days ago? Well it's time for the actual blood drive! On the network, there will a message posted reminding everyone of the blood drive located on the SS Blue Fish - which is parked in a volcano in Mor. You know the volcano.]

[If your character is Donating, please fill out this form here! ]

[If your character is Volunteering - they'll have been sent a message asked to arrive before the blood drive start to set up and go over procedures. Only Volunteers with Lab Assistant Augment or a Medical background will be helping with drawing blood! Volunteers without that (or lab assistants not interested in drawing blood) can be assisting with greeting people, helping people with paperwork, checking on donor's well-being, handling payments, or manning the cookie table. There's lots to do!]

[Be warned that since it's a blood drive, sections of this post will Contain Content with Blood and Needles. If that stuff makes you uneasy and you wish to handwave your character's involvement with the blood drive- that's totally fine! Otherwise go, have some fun full of blood and cookies!]

Comments

Action

[dancingmd]

[Beverly sits at one of the donation stations, her instruments sanitized and lined up neatly before her, ready for donors. Don't be shy!]

[puro]

[Helping people!!!! Manolo is happy to be here, he's never actually given blood before, but he doesn't seem all that afraid. Then again, the bar of things for him to fear has recently been set impossibly high. This is nothing.

He'll wander over, giving Beverly a wave. ]

Hello! I'm guessing with all the needles that this is the place to give blood and I haven't stumbled on anything underhanded.

[dancingmd]

[Okay, even Beverly has to stare a little here. Is he... made of wood? How is that possible ? She quickly recovers, however, and she returns his smile with a cheerful one of her own.]

You're in the right place! I'm Dr. Crusher.

[She picks up the donor list.]

May I have your name please?

[puro]

Pleased to meet you, Doctor Crusher. I'm Manolo Sánchez.

[Here to help!! :D :D]

[dancingmd]

All right, Mr. Sanchez, let me just find your chart...

[Easy enough, considering the relatively small amount of donors they received. She's going to have to work on that. Reading over his chart, she is staring again. This can't be right. She frowns slightly.]

I'm sorry, Mr. Sanchez. It says here that you have... wooden... skin? Is that correct?

[puro]

Just Manolo is fine.

[Ah. Right. That thing, he gives an apologetic shrug. ]

Apparently, that's something weird. It's normal, where I come from. I promise I still have blood, though.

[dancingmd]

Oh! All right then. [This really explains nothing but she'll take his word for it. Allen has vetted him already anyway, and explained how to compensate for Manolo's thicker skin.] I just wanted to make sure I wasn't misreading anything.

[She steps over to a small sink nearby to wash her hands, then pulls on a pair of rubber gloves.]

If you've never given blood before, the process can be a little alarming to some people. I am going to be taking this needle [She picks up an appropriate sized needle to show him] to draw blood from a vein in your arm, and we'll save it in one of these tubes. It's pretty simple, though it can hurt, and you might feel a little dizziness or wooziness afterwards. That's normal. We have plenty of cookies [She glances over at Sokka hovering near the food table. Okay, maybe not plenty.] for you to eat afterwards. Any questions before we begin?

[puro]

Afraid not. It's not really a thing, in my time.

[He's one year out for it. Shame. He nods, taking in what she's saying, not looking the least bit nervous despite it all being completely new to him. He turns his gaze to the other teen scarfing down cookies like they were going extinct and gives a shrug and a genial smile. ]

That's okay, he can have my share.

[dancingmd]

[She blows out some air in frustration, causing her bangs to fly up.]

No he cannot. I am not having you faint on us.

[She double checks that all the paperwork and labels are in order before having Manolo sit down.]

Do you have a preference for which arm you want me to use?

[mysunnydisposition]

[ Steph steps up to the station with a smile, and no sign of hesitation - she's a nurse's daughter, after all. And she's been through so much worse than a needle in her arm. ]

So... I was in the hospital before I got here? A little? But I'm pretty sure I have all my blood back now. Like, ninety percent sure.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly laughs.]

Well, I certainly hope so! You'd be in trouble if all your blood was missing!

May I have your name please?

[mysunnydisposition]

Stephanie Brown. Just Steph is fine.

[dancingmd]

Nice to meet you, Steph! I'm Dr. Crusher.

[She finds Steph's chart and looks over it. Despite the recent hospitalization, nothing is amiss.]

Everything checks out, but I will want to you stay just a little bit longer after, just to make sure you're feeling alright.

Have you ever given blood before?

[mysunnydisposition]

Yes ma'am. [ She grins a little at the question. ] A couple times. I've only been old enough since last year, but my mom's a nurse, so I usually come in whenever they're doing a blood drive at the hospital...

[dancingmd]

Excellent! You know exactly what to expect, then.

[She sets about preparing both Steph and the instruments, chatting cheerfully as she does so.]

So if your mother is a nurse, what do you do? Aside from being kidnapped by entertainment-starved aliens, of course.

[mysunnydisposition]

[ Steph sits quietly, watching while she prepares, and moves or stays still as necessary to be helpful. ]

Oh, um... homeschooling? Mostly? During the day, anyway. By night, I fight crime.

[ ...well, their secret identities were all busted when they showed up in costume anyway. And it doesn't hurt that it sounds like a joke when she says it that way. ]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly grins, completely taking it as a joke. Whoops.]

Like a superhero? Masked vigilante and all that?

[faithfulwisdom]

[Finrod is not shy, exactly, but there is a bit of hesitancy to his step as he looks about. Honestly, he has no idea what to expect here and it shows on his face. Eventually, he does stop in front of Beverly's station.]

I came to donate blood. I trust I am in the right place?

[dancingmd]

[Beverly can sense his hesitance, so she smiles as warmly as she can. Which, for her, is pretty damn warm.]

You are! I'm Dr. Crusher and I will be taking care of you today.

[faithfulwisdom]

[Well. The smile is a little reassuring. He smiles back and makes his way over.]

A pleasure, Dr. Crusher. I am Finrod Felagund.

[dancingmd]

Welcome, Mr. Felagund. Let me just check your chart here...

[She finds his chart and looks over it.]

It says here that you are a first time donor, so allow me to explain the process. [She proceeds to do so.] You see, it's a fairly simple process. Do you have any questions or concerns before we begin?

[faithfulwisdom]

['Mr. Felagund' sounds so odd (and for so many reasons) that he can't help but laugh)] 'Finrod' will do, if you do not object. My people do not have surnames in the sense that others do.

[But he listens dutifully and shakes his head at her question.] There is nothing that occurs to me. [His smile turns a little playful] Do your worst.

[dancingmd]

[She grins.] All right, if you insist.

[She washes her hands and puts on gloves, then, taking first one arm, and then the other, she examines his veins. Upon finding a suitable one, she ties a tourniquet to his upper arm.]

If you can make a fist for me... there you go!

[Having picked out an appropriately-sized needle, she starts to draw the blood.]

I'm sorry about misusing your name. If I may ask, if you do not have surnames in the same sense that humans do, what function does Felagund serve? Is it like an honorific?

[faithfulwisdom]

[Strange as this all is to him, he takes it in stride. The prick of a needle is fairly non-threatening after you've been wounded by a sword, after all.]

There is no need to apologize. You could not have known. And yes, that is it precisely. We would call it an "epessë," or aftername. In my case, it was a name given to me by the dwarves who aided me in the construction of my fortress. "Hewer of Caves" is the translation.

[dancingmd]

[She laughs.]

"Mr." Hewer of Caves does sound a little ridiculous, doesn't it? I should not have assumed, since there are many species in my universe that also do not use surnames.

[Tilting her head slightly as she studies him.]

In fact, your features are similar to one of those species, the Vulcans. They have been humanity's closest allies for centuries. I wonder if you share any distant connection with them...