Statements: Journeyman Healer Vanya
IC Date: Day 6, Month 9, Turn 2, 7th Pass
Players: Vanya, Ysidro
Location: Vanya's Room
Synopsis: These are the three statements Journeyman Healer Vanya gave to Master Ysidro, E'sere's Advocate, on the occasion of their interview.
Vanya's Statemen regarding Weyrwoman Yevide's Murder as told to Master Harper Ysidro:
"On Day 22, Month 6, Turn 2, 7th Pass I arrived at the party with Essdara, and met a few of her friends. I was hungry, so got food and sat down on the eastern wall of the living cavern. From there I had a good view of the entrance. About 20 minutes later, I saw Wingleader E'sere and Weyrwoman Yevide (only I had no idea who she was at the time) enter the cavern together. They both seemed composed and calm, though their entrance together stirred mixed reactions from many people.
"After a few minutes, I saw Wingleader E'sere leave the Weyrwoman and go to a table with numerous bottles of alcohol. He chose a one, and poured two glasses of red wine. He took the glasses back to the Weyrwoman, and gave her one, keeping the other for himself. I note both glasses were poured from the same bottle, or so it appeared from where I sat.
"A couple of friends distracted me at that point, and the next thing I knew, the Wingleader was standing in front of me. I'd promised him a dance. We talked to Journeyman Healer Medina and Essdara for a few moments, and then he led me to the dance floor. During the time we were talking, I noted a tall, red-haired man approaching the Weyrwoman, and was told it was Weyrlingmaster R'vain. I also observed an older man and a young woman arrive and was told it was former Weyrleader G'thon and Miniyal, neither of whom I knew personally. Weyrleader J'cor was also pointed out to me by someone, but I cannot remember whom.
"I paid little attention to the party after Wingleader E'sere led me onto the dance floor, until the dragons keened. The Wingleader looked over toward the Weyrwoman, and saw she'd collapsed. I did not see her collapse personally. He and I left the dance floor, and went to where she had fallen. Journeyman Healer Medina was already attending the lady by the time we arrived. Things were confused, and Medina told Wyerleader J'cor the Weyrwoman's death was not by natural causes. This caused some confusion and dismay in the crowd, and it was around then G'thon approached, saying the entire weyr had stood by and watched this coming and done nothing to stop it. He then left the cavern.
"It was my idea to look for the glass from which the Weyrwoman was drinking, and I ho found and retrieved it from beside her body. The guards and Weyrleader ordered everyone out of the living cavern at that point, except Wingleader E'sere, Journeyman Healer Medina, Weyrlingmaster R'vain, about ten guards and several other wingleaders who were clearing the cavern. Weyrleader J'cor ordered the body be removed and taken to the morgue, and Wingleader E'sere retrieved the bottle from which he poured the Weyrwoman's drink. The Weyrleader placed the evidence into my care, then left. He gave no instructions for either me or the evidence to be further protected.
"I freely admit to being afraid. I figured if those responsible were able to kill a weyrwoman they wouldn't think twice about killing me if they wanted to destroy that evidence. Everyone was gone by that time, except Wingleader E'sere. We discussed options, and decided the best protection for me was to be taken to his weyr. We both realized this was awkward, since he was one of the two prime suspects in the murder, however, his honor and gallantry cannot be faulted. Wingleader E'sere sent a message via one of the guards, telling him to let the Weyrleader know what was being done, that I and the evidence were being taken to his weyr, and that Morelenth could be questioned if there was any suspicion of improper handling or tampering with the evidence. To my knowledge, the evidence was not touched during the night. It was in the exact same place where it was set before I slept as it was the following morning.
"The following morning, Wingleader E'sere and I delivered the evident to Weyrleader J'cor in his office. That was the last time I saw the evidence, and only found out later there was no poison discovered in either the glass or the bottle."
Vanya's Statement regarding Wingleader E'sere's Poisoning as told to Master Harper Ysidro:
"On the 14th day of Month 7, I was visited by Wingsecond D'ven, and the meeting left me disturbed. The Wingsecond was very vague, and made references to current events in the weyr. He told me that things were coming to a head soon, and I might want to consider leaving the weyr for a time. He never explained why, except to say he wanted me out of the way, since unpleasant things would soon be happening. He was, as I said, very vague and never explained what he meant things coming to a head, or his warning. I said I would stay out of his way, and he left, looking very uncomfortable and acting very oddly. Needless to say, I was concerned.
"Later that same day, I was in the lower caverns hunting for some missing medical supplies when I ran into a girl I knew as "Vey." Since I was still concerned about Wingsecond D'ven's visit, I asked her to take a message to Wingleader E'sere, asking him to meet me later that night in my room. I trust Wingleader E'sere, and I wanted to let him know something was about to happen, but I didn't know what. I felt if anyone could stop something bad from happening, it would be the wingleader. I gave Vey my Journeyman's knot to prove the message came from me, and she assured me she would get my message to Wingleader E'sere.
Shortly before 11pm, there came a knock at my door. A young girl from the kitchen brought a tray of food, telling me it was for the wingleader. Since Wingleader E'sere and I often consulted on a new exercise program he was initiating for his wing, we often met in the evening, and sometimes he did have food sent to my room. I did not know the girl, and she left immediately after delivering the tray.
"Wingleader E'sere showed up about fifteen minutes later, and we discussed my concerns. During this discussion, he began to eat the food left for him. I expressed concerns regarding what Wingsecond D'ven had told me, and asked if the wingleader had ordered food. He said he had not, which caused me some concern. Before I could express that concern, Wingleader E'sere began displaying signs of distress. His skin paled and he collapsed, falling from the chair in which he was sitting. I could not lift him, and went to my door, calling for assistance. Essdara, a friend, was nearby and helped me get the Wingleader to the Infirmary.
"In the Infirmary, I administered standard treatment to induce vomiting, and spent several hours trying to purge the foreign substance from his body. I had secured the plate of food before leaving my room, hoping to keep it safe for analysis. From all indications -- pulse readings, breathing, heartrate and other vital signs -- I deduced the wingleader had been given an overdose of aconite, a medicine generally used to treat high blood-pressure and other heart-related diseases. Although it is not harmful when taken in proper amounts, it is lethal when given in large doses. I did not know this for certain, which is why I secured the food for analysis.
"Junior Weyrwoman Roa was summoned, and I explained to her what had happened. The plate of food was retrieved from by Essdara, and given to the Weyrwoman so it could be properly analyzed. The results were given to me later the following day by Weyrwoman Roa, and I was correct in my deduction. Wingleader E'sere was given a lethal dose of aconite, which is a derivative of the anodyne plant which grows in abundance near Fort Hold."
"I tended Wingleader E'sere until he awoke the following afternoon, whereupon I had him transported by Morelenth to his weyr for his safety. I accompanied Wingleader E'sere, to make certain he would get immediate attention should there be a relapse. He slept for many hours -- as did I, since I'd been up almost 36 hours by that time -- and woke shortly before Wingleader E'sere was arrested. At that point, I was removed from the case by the Weyrleader, and was only able to follow up on Wingleader E'sere's condition several days later. I am glad to report he has made a full recovery, with no signs of any permanent damage."
Vanya's Statement as regards an interview she had with Aivey regarding the crimes committed in the weyr:
"On day 4 of month 8, I paid a visit to the prisoner known as Aivey, the girl I knew as "Vey." What follows is a reasonable transcript of the conversation:
ME: "Hello, Vey -- Aivey. I thought I'd come to see how your hand's doing."
AIVEY: "Somehow I don't think having a bad hand is going to matter much, soon. What do you really want?"
ME: "Did you poison him? E'sere
AIVEY: "I did. Twice, as a matter of fact. He's a strong man. I think I should've used more."
ME: "Twice? The food sent to my room and ...?"
AIVEY: "The food sent to your room and sometime before T'zen. If he wants to know more, he can come ask me himself."
ME: "I somehow doubt he'll be allowed to visit you. I don't understand the need or desire to kill, Aivey."
AIVEY: "Let me explain it to you. I killed because I had to, because the situation called for it. All those other people I talked with I didn't kill. I could have but I didn't. Funny they're still holding him after I confessed to poisoning him."
ME: "Why the difference? Why kill one, but not another? How do you distinguish? Circumstance? Arbitrary choice? There are times a healer has to cut off diseased limb to save the rest of the patient, but otherwise...?"
AIVEY: "You're a healer, Vanya, and I like you. Do you really want me to explain to you why I killed one person and not another? Can you handle the truth? I have no problem explaining why I did what I did. I have problems if you can't handle it. I don't want to do that to you."
ME: "I don't know. There's a part of me that wants to know, and another part of me that's running out of here screaming."
AIVEY: "I killed one because she got in the way and the other because it needed to be done. A split decision, healer. Like you'd make if you had a half dozen people you had to heal and only enough to save two... three of them tops. Who gets the medicine, who dies? This weyr is one big, open wound, Vanya, and no amount of healing is going to save it."
ME: "The choice of life or death is never easy. It's something they can't teach at the Hall, how to choose. A mother or the child, an older person or a youth. The weyr is wounded, but not dead. As long as there is life in a patient, there's hope."
AIVEY: "Actually that was an easy choice. Too bad the mother forced my hand in reconsidering my original decision. The Weyr is dying. Outsiders are taking over, they're shipping off one of their own ... will be shipping off one of their own."
ME: "Sometimes new blood is needed to heal a dying patient, Aivey. I'm not saying what they've done is right or wrong, or what you've done is right or wrong. It takes time to heal bad wounds, and not every cure is the right one. Sometimes you have to try a lot of different things before it heals."
AIVEY: "I doubt there'll be anyone mourning my loss when I'm gone. Forget all this talk about healing. I don't want to be healed, I don't want to fix things. I want to make them right. You want to ask me something more, Vanya, don't you? Like I told the others... just ask me and I'll tell you. I have nothing to hide. I'm not ashamed of what I've done."
ME: "Is he guilty of what they say? I don't even know if you can answer me, but I have to ask."
AIVEY: "I don't know what they say. Just that they think he's guilty of something. I was more then a little distracted the first time I heard they were interested in him, and the second time was after he'd already been arrested. I can't speak for him. Won't. All I know is that I poisoned him and you saved his life."
ME: "They say he's behind all the killing you did, that you and he were working together to bring down the weyr. That he murdered Weyrwoman Yevide -- and that's only speculation from what I've heard in rumor. Nothing confirmable."
AIVEY: "No. I did everything /myself/. I was behind the killings. How ... those sons of expletive deleted. You make sure people know that, Vanya."
That is the conversation I had with Aivey as regards to her involvement with the crimes committed in the weyr."
Players: Vanya, Ysidro
Location: Vanya's Room
Synopsis: These are the three statements Journeyman Healer Vanya gave to Master Ysidro, E'sere's Advocate, on the occasion of their interview.
Vanya's Statemen regarding Weyrwoman Yevide's Murder as told to Master Harper Ysidro:
"On Day 22, Month 6, Turn 2, 7th Pass I arrived at the party with Essdara, and met a few of her friends. I was hungry, so got food and sat down on the eastern wall of the living cavern. From there I had a good view of the entrance. About 20 minutes later, I saw Wingleader E'sere and Weyrwoman Yevide (only I had no idea who she was at the time) enter the cavern together. They both seemed composed and calm, though their entrance together stirred mixed reactions from many people.
"After a few minutes, I saw Wingleader E'sere leave the Weyrwoman and go to a table with numerous bottles of alcohol. He chose a one, and poured two glasses of red wine. He took the glasses back to the Weyrwoman, and gave her one, keeping the other for himself. I note both glasses were poured from the same bottle, or so it appeared from where I sat.
"A couple of friends distracted me at that point, and the next thing I knew, the Wingleader was standing in front of me. I'd promised him a dance. We talked to Journeyman Healer Medina and Essdara for a few moments, and then he led me to the dance floor. During the time we were talking, I noted a tall, red-haired man approaching the Weyrwoman, and was told it was Weyrlingmaster R'vain. I also observed an older man and a young woman arrive and was told it was former Weyrleader G'thon and Miniyal, neither of whom I knew personally. Weyrleader J'cor was also pointed out to me by someone, but I cannot remember whom.
"I paid little attention to the party after Wingleader E'sere led me onto the dance floor, until the dragons keened. The Wingleader looked over toward the Weyrwoman, and saw she'd collapsed. I did not see her collapse personally. He and I left the dance floor, and went to where she had fallen. Journeyman Healer Medina was already attending the lady by the time we arrived. Things were confused, and Medina told Wyerleader J'cor the Weyrwoman's death was not by natural causes. This caused some confusion and dismay in the crowd, and it was around then G'thon approached, saying the entire weyr had stood by and watched this coming and done nothing to stop it. He then left the cavern.
"It was my idea to look for the glass from which the Weyrwoman was drinking, and I ho found and retrieved it from beside her body. The guards and Weyrleader ordered everyone out of the living cavern at that point, except Wingleader E'sere, Journeyman Healer Medina, Weyrlingmaster R'vain, about ten guards and several other wingleaders who were clearing the cavern. Weyrleader J'cor ordered the body be removed and taken to the morgue, and Wingleader E'sere retrieved the bottle from which he poured the Weyrwoman's drink. The Weyrleader placed the evidence into my care, then left. He gave no instructions for either me or the evidence to be further protected.
"I freely admit to being afraid. I figured if those responsible were able to kill a weyrwoman they wouldn't think twice about killing me if they wanted to destroy that evidence. Everyone was gone by that time, except Wingleader E'sere. We discussed options, and decided the best protection for me was to be taken to his weyr. We both realized this was awkward, since he was one of the two prime suspects in the murder, however, his honor and gallantry cannot be faulted. Wingleader E'sere sent a message via one of the guards, telling him to let the Weyrleader know what was being done, that I and the evidence were being taken to his weyr, and that Morelenth could be questioned if there was any suspicion of improper handling or tampering with the evidence. To my knowledge, the evidence was not touched during the night. It was in the exact same place where it was set before I slept as it was the following morning.
"The following morning, Wingleader E'sere and I delivered the evident to Weyrleader J'cor in his office. That was the last time I saw the evidence, and only found out later there was no poison discovered in either the glass or the bottle."
Vanya's Statement regarding Wingleader E'sere's Poisoning as told to Master Harper Ysidro:
"On the 14th day of Month 7, I was visited by Wingsecond D'ven, and the meeting left me disturbed. The Wingsecond was very vague, and made references to current events in the weyr. He told me that things were coming to a head soon, and I might want to consider leaving the weyr for a time. He never explained why, except to say he wanted me out of the way, since unpleasant things would soon be happening. He was, as I said, very vague and never explained what he meant things coming to a head, or his warning. I said I would stay out of his way, and he left, looking very uncomfortable and acting very oddly. Needless to say, I was concerned.
"Later that same day, I was in the lower caverns hunting for some missing medical supplies when I ran into a girl I knew as "Vey." Since I was still concerned about Wingsecond D'ven's visit, I asked her to take a message to Wingleader E'sere, asking him to meet me later that night in my room. I trust Wingleader E'sere, and I wanted to let him know something was about to happen, but I didn't know what. I felt if anyone could stop something bad from happening, it would be the wingleader. I gave Vey my Journeyman's knot to prove the message came from me, and she assured me she would get my message to Wingleader E'sere.
Shortly before 11pm, there came a knock at my door. A young girl from the kitchen brought a tray of food, telling me it was for the wingleader. Since Wingleader E'sere and I often consulted on a new exercise program he was initiating for his wing, we often met in the evening, and sometimes he did have food sent to my room. I did not know the girl, and she left immediately after delivering the tray.
"Wingleader E'sere showed up about fifteen minutes later, and we discussed my concerns. During this discussion, he began to eat the food left for him. I expressed concerns regarding what Wingsecond D'ven had told me, and asked if the wingleader had ordered food. He said he had not, which caused me some concern. Before I could express that concern, Wingleader E'sere began displaying signs of distress. His skin paled and he collapsed, falling from the chair in which he was sitting. I could not lift him, and went to my door, calling for assistance. Essdara, a friend, was nearby and helped me get the Wingleader to the Infirmary.
"In the Infirmary, I administered standard treatment to induce vomiting, and spent several hours trying to purge the foreign substance from his body. I had secured the plate of food before leaving my room, hoping to keep it safe for analysis. From all indications -- pulse readings, breathing, heartrate and other vital signs -- I deduced the wingleader had been given an overdose of aconite, a medicine generally used to treat high blood-pressure and other heart-related diseases. Although it is not harmful when taken in proper amounts, it is lethal when given in large doses. I did not know this for certain, which is why I secured the food for analysis.
"Junior Weyrwoman Roa was summoned, and I explained to her what had happened. The plate of food was retrieved from by Essdara, and given to the Weyrwoman so it could be properly analyzed. The results were given to me later the following day by Weyrwoman Roa, and I was correct in my deduction. Wingleader E'sere was given a lethal dose of aconite, which is a derivative of the anodyne plant which grows in abundance near Fort Hold."
"I tended Wingleader E'sere until he awoke the following afternoon, whereupon I had him transported by Morelenth to his weyr for his safety. I accompanied Wingleader E'sere, to make certain he would get immediate attention should there be a relapse. He slept for many hours -- as did I, since I'd been up almost 36 hours by that time -- and woke shortly before Wingleader E'sere was arrested. At that point, I was removed from the case by the Weyrleader, and was only able to follow up on Wingleader E'sere's condition several days later. I am glad to report he has made a full recovery, with no signs of any permanent damage."
Vanya's Statement as regards an interview she had with Aivey regarding the crimes committed in the weyr:
"On day 4 of month 8, I paid a visit to the prisoner known as Aivey, the girl I knew as "Vey." What follows is a reasonable transcript of the conversation:
ME: "Hello, Vey -- Aivey. I thought I'd come to see how your hand's doing."
AIVEY: "Somehow I don't think having a bad hand is going to matter much, soon. What do you really want?"
ME: "Did you poison him? E'sere
AIVEY: "I did. Twice, as a matter of fact. He's a strong man. I think I should've used more."
ME: "Twice? The food sent to my room and ...?"
AIVEY: "The food sent to your room and sometime before T'zen. If he wants to know more, he can come ask me himself."
ME: "I somehow doubt he'll be allowed to visit you. I don't understand the need or desire to kill, Aivey."
AIVEY: "Let me explain it to you. I killed because I had to, because the situation called for it. All those other people I talked with I didn't kill. I could have but I didn't. Funny they're still holding him after I confessed to poisoning him."
ME: "Why the difference? Why kill one, but not another? How do you distinguish? Circumstance? Arbitrary choice? There are times a healer has to cut off diseased limb to save the rest of the patient, but otherwise...?"
AIVEY: "You're a healer, Vanya, and I like you. Do you really want me to explain to you why I killed one person and not another? Can you handle the truth? I have no problem explaining why I did what I did. I have problems if you can't handle it. I don't want to do that to you."
ME: "I don't know. There's a part of me that wants to know, and another part of me that's running out of here screaming."
AIVEY: "I killed one because she got in the way and the other because it needed to be done. A split decision, healer. Like you'd make if you had a half dozen people you had to heal and only enough to save two... three of them tops. Who gets the medicine, who dies? This weyr is one big, open wound, Vanya, and no amount of healing is going to save it."
ME: "The choice of life or death is never easy. It's something they can't teach at the Hall, how to choose. A mother or the child, an older person or a youth. The weyr is wounded, but not dead. As long as there is life in a patient, there's hope."
AIVEY: "Actually that was an easy choice. Too bad the mother forced my hand in reconsidering my original decision. The Weyr is dying. Outsiders are taking over, they're shipping off one of their own ... will be shipping off one of their own."
ME: "Sometimes new blood is needed to heal a dying patient, Aivey. I'm not saying what they've done is right or wrong, or what you've done is right or wrong. It takes time to heal bad wounds, and not every cure is the right one. Sometimes you have to try a lot of different things before it heals."
AIVEY: "I doubt there'll be anyone mourning my loss when I'm gone. Forget all this talk about healing. I don't want to be healed, I don't want to fix things. I want to make them right. You want to ask me something more, Vanya, don't you? Like I told the others... just ask me and I'll tell you. I have nothing to hide. I'm not ashamed of what I've done."
ME: "Is he guilty of what they say? I don't even know if you can answer me, but I have to ask."
AIVEY: "I don't know what they say. Just that they think he's guilty of something. I was more then a little distracted the first time I heard they were interested in him, and the second time was after he'd already been arrested. I can't speak for him. Won't. All I know is that I poisoned him and you saved his life."
ME: "They say he's behind all the killing you did, that you and he were working together to bring down the weyr. That he murdered Weyrwoman Yevide -- and that's only speculation from what I've heard in rumor. Nothing confirmable."
AIVEY: "No. I did everything /myself/. I was behind the killings. How ... those sons of expletive deleted. You make sure people know that, Vanya."
That is the conversation I had with Aivey as regards to her involvement with the crimes committed in the weyr."