A glamour spell did wonders to disguise the signs of exhaustion Sivanna was beginning to outwardly present. The enchantment concealed dark circles better than any makeup would have, and after a restless night of ironing, the PR Director looked prim and pressed in a black, chic business suit as she might any other day. As she resumed her daily walk around the hospital, Sivanna made a deliberate stop by the coffee pot and poured herself a hefty mug of java. The smell wasn't even invigorating anymore. Maybe she should switch to something stronger"

The cleric didn't need more caffeine. She didn't need means to stay awake. She needed to sleep.

Four days. Four days had passed since Anya had prescribed her a low-dose sleep aid, and in those four days, Siv had accrued maybe a grand total of six hours— two of which were consecutive. The pharmaceutical was a miracle when it came to putting her to sleep, but it had done nothing to banish her nightmares. Worse than that, taking the drug made it harder to wake up from them.

The lithe elfess stalked past Anya's office, surprised and bewildered to find it closed and locked. She must still be in surgery.

Once she strolled to the next office in the series, Siv's knuckles hit the door firmly twice. The wooden entry eased open an inch with hardly a creak of protest. Maintaining some decorum of etiquette, however, the cleric hovered outside the office politely. Self-consciously, she shuffled the tattered Silvanesti uniform she'd brought with her between arms.

"Miss Xenia" I'm sorry to bother you, but Anya wasn't in her office. May I have a word?"

Permission granted, the elfess nudged the door open with the rounded toe of her shoe. With a grateful nod, she took up a seat across from the lovely assistant, arranging the dry-cleaning bag in her lap. Passively, she untied the plastic, and held up the Silvanesti uniform for Xenia's inspection. It looked a lost cause; the original peony coloring of the material was dull and covered with soot where hunks of the fabric weren't missing entirely.

"Anya said she would give her best to repair this garment. It might be futile, but?" She let out a soft, sentimental sigh. "Well. I wonder if I might leave it with you?"

That said, the former general's metallic gaze skimmed her friend's paperwork pensively.

"Also, I wonder if I might have a tentative copy of the good doctor's schedule for July' I'll have to arrange a meeting with Koy. The dress is one of the most important aspects of the Big Day, after all," Siv requested expediently. Her tone was oddly restrained. With effort, she swallowed a cold lump that had arisen in her throat.

"And" does the doctor have any openings to see me any time soon?? she queried hopefully, surrendering a meek, almost embarrassed glance at the assistant. The expression that washed over the elfess's features, as well as the title she had given Anya, seemed to imply the matter was something other than business or leisure.

"Uma. The Big Day. Anya's double-wedding," she returned, practically beaming. And she had been given the go-ahead to help plan! Oh the delight that elfess took in organization. As she said this, she was already hanging the garment on the coat rack, as instructed, and retying the plastic around it protectively.

She turned back to Xenia with a fond smile, and took the calendar gratefully.

"I appreciate it," she began, before blinking in surprise at the assistant's thorough, speedy professionalism. That smile broadened substantially in relief. Same day appointment' Talk about prompt! The punctual cleric could always appreciate a well-timed schedule.

"Three o"clock" I would be in your, and her, debt," Siv returned appreciatively, taking a sip of that brew she'd brought in. Tsk. The coffee in the doctor's lounge tasted a heck of a lot better.

"I'll come back at three, then?" she queried pleasantly. "Unless I might steal you away for a quick lunch in the garden" I hear the salads in the cafeteria are quite good!?

The cleric's face lit up in delight as she ushered her friend out the door. It was twelve thirty. That at least gave them forty minutes or so to soak up the sun until they had to re-expose themselves to the headache-inducing artificial light. Sidling out the doorway, Sivanna drew a sharp breath and pressed against the nearest wall as two young children hastened past in what appeared to be a makeshift game of chase. And by the look of the sour-faced CNA trotting behind them, it just might have been against hospital rules.

She exhaled nervously, unconsciously setting her half-empty Styrofoam cup on the nearest water cooler. Stuffing her hands into her pockets stiffly, she paid Xenia another warm smile as she lingered to allow her time to shut or lock the door if need be.

Children. How odd that Sivanna found herself working in a clinic that had such an extensive children's wing, when even in the company of youngsters, the cleric felt out of sorts. She would blame her discomfort on her lack of experience with the little ones. After all, Sivanna had spent virtually her whole life either at the Tower of High Sorcery or on campaigns in the Silvanesti army. In all honesty, though, Siv had made little effort to remedy that selective social ineptitude. She earned just as much blame as her upbringing did.

"I'm glad I finally got a chance to speak with you. I've been wondering for a long time how you met this crowd," the former general began amiably, setting a leisurely pace toward the cafeteria once the commotion had passed. "You met Anya through Alper, correct?"

"It is," she agreed softly, at last mirroring Xenia's warm expression. Perhaps it was this reason that put a smile on Anya's face so often, no matter how thin she stretched herself— the fact that children, no matter what age or situation, found everything in nothing. Adults, on the other hand, found nothing in everything.

She led the way through the administration floor, and proceeded to the brightly lit cafeteria. Almost immediately, the cleric's features were awash with relief. The enormous, flat-paned windows to the dining hall bathed the floors in intersecting rectangles of warm, welcoming sunlight. It had been the right call; Today was the perfect day for dining outdoors.

Comfortable enough to remove her hands from her pockets, Sivanna headed over to a two-door refrigerator and took a long peek into the generous selection. With a set nod, she bid the door open with a mighty swing. Vacuum-sealed air gusted outward in a loud rush as she delicately reached for a plastic vessel of spring greens— a loose mesclun of arugula, endive, lollo rosso, dandelion, and radicchio. Courteously, she held the "fridge ajar, flashing a honeysuckle of a grin at the lovely assistant.

"Quite," she replied. "Your adept organization skill seems to drain the water level low enough for Anya to keep her head above it," Sivanna returned with a musical, wind chime of a chuckle. "So I suppose I have wanted to thank you for that. You are very good to her, and I appreciate it."

The blonde elfess shifted her weight, then, a metallic gaze flitting to the sun-washed windowpanes in abject longing. Despite her long sleeves, she was often chilled to the bone for the temperature they kept this building in. It went without question that the scant breaks she allowed herself during the day were spent drinking up the sunlight with the reverence of a cold-blooded amphibian. Tilting the greens idly in her grasp, she pried her eyes off the adjacent patio and wrinkled her nose charmingly.

"If I may be so bold," Siv began conversationally, "how did you meet Alper?" A mischief-laden smile stole her lips. "Have you any embarrassing stories of him for me?? she queried with a teasing snicker.

The cleric might not have pressed had the assistant's countenance not surrendered that abstruse mien for something a little brighter. "Oil?" She laughed incredulously as she made her way to the register and handed over the appropriate payment. "By Nuitari, Xenia, don't stop there."

All smiles, the cleric led the way through the automated doors to the veranda, and to a cast iron lady bench not ten steps away from a lush bed of sweet pea and freesia. Taking up a seat gently, the elfess quite nearly purred in delight as the warmth of the bench soaked through her starched business attire. Her gaze softened noticeably as it set upon an elderly man pushing what appeared to be his wife about the garden in a wheelchair. Indeed, Sivanna could not pry her eyes away from the tender way the man readjusted her lap blanket, secured her socks on her feet, and treated her as though she were the most priceless, cherished thing in his life. Maybe she was.

With a soft sigh, Siv took up her fork and proceeded to push around the greens idly in their plastic vessel. Her lips twitched at Xenia again as Siv repaid the assistant her attention.

"If you do not wish to share, please don't feel obligated to," she reassured Xenia with a one-shouldered shrug. "I apologize. I am just' curious."

She didn't even bother to hide a smirk as she listened to the anecdote Xenia provided. Partially through her salad by the time the assistant posed her next question, Sivanna merely shook her head with a smile.

"That about says it all, doesn't it?" she replied cheekily, chuckling to herself in what seemed like some inside joke. She subtly took a gander at her timepiece and tisked once inaudibly. Had it been twenty-five minutes already? Breaks always seemed shorter whenever Sivanna finally took the time to enjoy them. Spearing another few leaves with her fork, the elfess chewed and wiped the corner of her mouth with a disposable napkin.

"You will of course be in their wedding, yes?" she queried pleasantly. "Alper's and Anya's?" If so, the cleric had a dress or three with Xenia's name on them.

The cleric hungrily finished off her salad as the second hand on her timepiece reached one. Drat. Time to get back to work. She let out a sigh and rose to drop the empty plastic container and utensils into the nearby wastebasket before turning back to Xenia. Upon the assistant's reply, the elfess beamed.

"Spectacular! But of course it will, if Anya trusts me enough," Siv returned with a cheeky smile. "I'll need you at some point in the near future to try on a few dresses, if you don't mind?" she began, but before Sivanna allowed herself to launch into full-fledged wedding coordinator mode, she reined the bubbliness in effortfully. Clearing her throat, the cleric paid Xenia an apologetic half-smile, for once, less-inclined to return to work, but all the more guiltily driven to do so.

"Alas. The paperwork calls to me," she admitted grumpily. "But before I forget— Aja and I are going to be planning Anya's bachelorette party soon. If you'd like to help, do let me know," she continued. "And thank you for sharing your scant free time with me, Xenia. It's good to get out of the office once in a while, no?"

A gust of arctic air greeted them as the duo proceeded back through the automated doors. With one last smile and wave goodbye, Sivanna parted ways with Xenia in the hallway, seeking a brief sojourn to the lounge to check her inbox. Halfway there, however, she found herself wandering through the maternity ward. Her steps halted some as tarnished steel gazed through a sizeable pane of glass to set upon two dozen newborn infants. As a blue-bibbed boy opened his hazel eyes to look at her, the cleric was struck with a raw, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes burned, and, despite herself, Siv smiled sadly at the child. Just then, two residents hurried by and roused the elfess from her reverie. Hastily turning on her heel, she continued onward to her mailbox, filling her arms with new and irresistible paperwork, before heading back to her office.

"That's enough," she ordered herself harshly, dropping the stack to her desk in a hiss of parchment. With unnecessary force, Siv yanked at the drawstring on the blinds and hitched them lopsidedly. The perfectionist within commanded she right the shades before going about her business— which, to her dismay, won out in the end. A sigh of unfettered exasperation escaped her lips as Sivanna crumpled into her chair. It wasn't that she was bored or tired of her work; Far from it. In fact, however tedious or monotonous her work might be, Siv quite enjoyed what she did. It was just this week. It was a strange week.

Deliberately, the cleric put her pen to paper and happily lost herself in her latest promotion endeavors. The clinic, for all intents and purposes, was doing very well, and attracted a fair amount of business. But for her part, this PR Director had begun to suspect Riverview needed a touch more publicity if they were going to be able to afford the upkeep of the latest obstetrics expansion. At the moment, she was considering calling in a favor at the Rhy"Din Post to run a story on the clinic or its doctors. Were she not swamped with two weddings and a birthday party, the former general might have even undertaken another Gala project.

Before she knew it, the secondhand on her glass wall clock was nearing two fifty-three. When had that happened" Siv inspected her timepiece confusedly, half-expecting it to differ. The elfess let out another sigh, dropped her pen, and in a bored creak of mahogany the chair was pushed back to allow her to leave. Unconsciously locking the office door behind her, she made her way to Anya's office in the next five minutes and lingered outside her door. As the hand on her timepiece hit three o?clock exactly, Siv rapped her knuckles lightly on the good doctor's doorframe.

It seemed like the busy Chief of Staff had just closed her weary hazel eyes for a moment, when the knock on the doorframe roused her from her brief slumber. She rubbed at her face with her palms.

"Come in."

Maranya swiveled in her chair to fill a large mug with WonderCoffee from the coffeemaker by her desk. She took a sip of the rich, dark brew, then two more in quick succession. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as the triple caffeine content quickly began to work its magic in her bloodstream, and she silently blessed her fianc? Antonio once again for introducing her to the beverage.

"Nyet, nyet. With the way my schedule has been going skew orbit lately, you might not get another chance until after my honeymoon, at least, Sivanna," Maranya declared ruefully with a smile touched on the fringes by fatigue. "I was just resting my eyes after the procedure with Oliver earlier. Conjoined twins, at the occipital lobes. Dicey procedure, but, on the whole, a qualified success."

She took a sip of WonderCoffee to gather her thoughts together in a coherent fashion. "Please, have a seat. Now, what did you wish to talk to me about?"

The Good Doctor peered over the rim of her mug after another sip of the potent brew, in search of the presence of the infamous white Binder of Doom, just in case. It never hurt to be too cautious where that tome of bridal information was concerned, after all.

"You are never a bother, Sivanna," Maranya commented brightly, and set the mug down to pick up the tipped over orange pill bottle. She rolled the empty plastic container between her palms while she contemplated possible courses of action.

"Mm, as I recall, when I prescribed this for you, I did say that if it wasn't effective that I would have to give you a physical in order to rule out any organic causes for your insomnia before I prescribed anything stronger." She watched the Cleric's kinesics carefully while she spoke. "That opinion has not changed. To prescribe without determining any underlying causes would be at the least irresponsible, if not criminally negligent."

She set the bottle down on the desk between them. "Now, we can do this two ways. I can take a look at you, or I can take a Look at you." Her hands steepled together, and their fingertips tapped together. "Which would you prefer?"

Her steepled fingertips then tapped against her lips while she awaited an answer.

"Of course it is," Maranya answered with an amused smile. "It'll show up on your benefits billing statement as Alternative Means."

She swiveled in her chair and leaned down to retrieve an ordinary looking pair of platinum framed glasses from her black leather satchel. When she straightened up, the glasses were settled in place on her face.

"Here is fine, and it will be perfectly painless."

The Good Doctor's hazels closed, and she focused on Seeing what exactly was troubling the Cleric on the physical level. Both brows ticked upward, the left trailing slightly behind the right, at what she Saw.

By the Beyond, how long has this been going on"

Maranya's eyes opened, and she regarded Sivanna after a few moments over her steepled hands.

"There are quite a few things that are off balance with you, Sivanna. Most can be corrected with proper diet and supplements. What worries me the most at this point, however, is the mass that I Saw on your left occipital lobe."

Her steepled fingertips tapped against her lips while she gathered her thoughts.

"Now, how do you wish to go about treating this?"

"Da, a mass." The Good Doctor's lips formed a self-chastising frown at breaking the news so bluntly to the Cleric. "Normally, were the situation a simple one, I would recommend surgery. For that, I would refer you to Oliver. In traditional neurosurgery, he is more qualified than I, for the most part."

Maranya's steepled fingertips tapped against her lips again before she continued, "However, because of its entanglement and the depth of its location in otherwise healthy brain tissue, in order to preserve your sight, your best and safest option in this case would be removal by Alternative Means. This means that I would be your best choice for surgeon."

She leaned forward in her chair, and met her patient and dear friend's steely eyed gaze with her own shielded hazel one. "The catch is, with the delicacy and finesse, as well as the sheer amount of? energies that I would need to perform the surgery, I would need to do it on the Isle, and as soon as it is feasibly possible. The mass is not malignant, nor has it metastasized, which is a huge bonus in your favor. That means we do have more time to deal with the mass. But, it should still be dealt with soon."

Maranya's right emerald and diamond ringed hand reached out for one of Sivanna's in a subtle gesture of comfort and reassurance. "This is a lot to assimilate in one sitting, I know. And I apologize for that. But, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help you, Sivanna."