veardant | gojonari;

gojonari;

[ tighnari is still quite new at his job, yet he already feels overworked.

these sorcerers.. not only do they make a mess of the city, they make messes of themselves; he's quite sure that they're purposefully reckless just to drive him up the wall. half the time they look like they came back from a fight with a lawnmower and lost. some take hours for him to heal and patch up. it's a lot of work, and tighnari gets little enough sleep even at the best of times.

.. but it is rewarding.

difficult though it might be, and exhausting as it is both physically and emotionally, tighnari feels like he's making a difference, here. he's helping those in need, helping those who are fighting against impossible odds, and patching them up is the least that he could do for their hard service, isn't it? that won't keep him from complaining when they receive injuries they likely could have avoided, nor will it change his opinion that children are part of the battle, but he will still do what he needs to do, and take pride in it.

he's just finished up with a patient and is sitting at his desk, drinking tea and filling out patient paperwork when he hears footsteps approaching the infirmary again. tighnari lifts his head, his tall ears swiveling toward the noise. ]

Come in.

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[ It's a good thing he's read to accept a new patient, because ready or not, Gojo is kicking the door open, with Itadori slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

It's not that he enjoys this either. Taking his students on missions and pitting them against dangerous curses is a necessary evil, one that they commit themselves to wholeheartedly, but how much of that is because jujutsu society as engendered them to believe it's what they have to do? Much as he might enjoy fighting himself, he's cut from a different cloth as these kids. It's why he does what he does — so they don't end up like him, but better.

...Which is all to say that Itadori is fully unconscious and sporting some impressive lacerations from a fight with a cursed spirit. Definitely some cracked and broken ribs, too. Stepping over to an open exam table, Gojo deposits the boy into it, easing his shoulders back to make sure he doesn't just, you know, slip right off again, before turning back to the new doctor. ]

I've got another one for ya! He gave the curse a nice send-up before he passed out, but it did a number on him before that. Itadori just doesn't know when to quit...that's what I like about him.

[ Even if it means that he has to get patched up like this even more often than his fellow students... ]

Is this...three times in one week? Hah, my bad.

[ immediately, tighnari's youthful face scrunches up with concern. ]

It might be better if some of you did know when to quit.

[ he says sharply, but his voice is thick with worry. this boy.. he's so young, he should be enjoying his days in school, getting crushes on students, playing sports, planning for college - instead he's here, bleeding out on tighnari's worktable.

but he doesn't hesitate to get moving. immediately, tighnari gets to work, washing his hands and pulling on gloves, assessing the wounds he can see before he's snagging a pair of shears to cut through itadori's shirt to quickly remove it. ]

If you're going to stay, you can help. Wash your hands and glove up.

[ Tighnari has the right idea, and Gojo wouldn't argue with him on that point for a second. But circumstances being what they are, Itadori doesn't have that luxury anymore, so they're doing the next best thing they can.

Hell, it was hard enough to keep the higher-ups from executing him...the least he could do as a show of thanks for Gojo's efforts is not go around nearly getting himself killed every other mission!

At Tighnari's suggestion, Gojo turns a lifted brow to him, just discernable beneath the cloth of his blindfold. ]

You expect me to work? Usually I just sit in an armchair and bitch about our mission for awhile until the exam is done!

[ At least, that's what happens when Shoko is in the office, but he kind of gets a free pass from her, given he's her oldest friend. ]

[ .. it's unfortunately all too true - gojo's line of reasoning. tighnari complains often and loudly that these children shouldn't have to endure all of this, but he also knows full well that it's simply their reality. there can be no changing it. but that doesn't mean he has to like it, either. ]

That's nice. But this is more than an exam - he's in bad shape, and I could use the extra hands.

[ not to mention, gojo might be slightly less distracting if he's busy. ]

.. please.

[ "He's in bad shape" is all it actually takes for Gojo to rise to his feet and appear at the sink a split-second later, quickly rolling up his sleeves to wash his hands. There may be a great many things he can be casual and even lazy about, but he's also not going to put Itadori through more pain than he has to be.

Even if he kind of brought it on himself...he already learned his lesson, probably. (He did not and they will no doubt be here again before long.) ]

Alright, alright...just as long as you give him a lecture about his recklessness when we're done. I'm tired of being the one to do it!

[ Says the most reckless man in the world, but he can also kind of get away with it. ]

[ that appeal was enough, it would seem. gojo might not have a lot of experience with this, but he has two hands and two ears, that's enough. ]

I'm happy to lecture you both.

[ but there's work to be done. with the boy stripped mostly down, tighnari is better able to examine his wounds. nothing fatal, thankfully, but the lacerations are severe, and it's likely that a few ribs are broken as well. ]

Bring me the suture box, it's on the shelf to your right.

[ he says, while gently palpating itadori's abdomen, checking for swelling. ]

[ Two hands and two ears and for all he can come off as flighty and too easygoing, when it's time to buckle down and focus, he is efficient and effective. He can also, you know, cheat with a little teleportation, and he appears with a pop next to Tighnari with the suture box in hand a split-second after he asks for it.

Tilting his head as he watches Tighnari conduct his assessment: ]

You know, someday he'll be able to master Sukuna's techniques and heal himself, but in the meantime, he ought to work a little harder at keeping more of his blood inside his body rather than out of it.

[ If only there was someone who could teach him to take up the defensive...but that really isn't Itadori's style, or any of the students, really. ]

[ teleporting like five feet.. of course he is. but hey, anything to get the sutures in his hands that much more quickly. ]

Mm, well, I can't argue with that..

[ he says, his brow creased with worry. ]

He'll live, but he'll need to take it easy for a little while.

[ tighnari sets to work, thoroughly cleaning the open wounds with iodine before he's suturing the deep lacerations closed in rows of neat, tidy stitches. he works quickly, but also neatly, efficiently. there' substantial bruising as well, and he'll need to take some x-rays after this, but none of these wounds are fatal. ]

I'm not the one you have to convince.

[ But there's always too much work to be done, too many missions to take on, and Yuji is often the first to volunteer. Hell, they could have even twice as many sorcerers and probably still feel stretched thin. It's just something you get used to after awhile.

Speaking of...Gojo eyes the new doctor with some scrutiny from behind his mask. He knows what he's doing, evidently, and now that he's here, Shoko can have a goddamn break every once in a while, but there's not a whole lot else that he knows about him just yet.

Time to change that. ]

How're you settling in, anyway? Not burned out yet, I hope.

I can handle him, don't worry.

[ tighnari might not be as powerful as gojo, but he's absolutely terrifying in his own ways. he's quite good at wrangling idiot upstarts that don't know how to look out for themselves. ]

As for me..

[ more suturing, neat and tidy, one laceration at a time. speaking with gojo doesn't seem to break his focus. ]

I'm managing. I'm used to being busy, I don't mind it. It keeps me on my toes, even if I'd rather see less of all of you.

[ As Tighnari works, Gojo watches closely, his method of medical care quite different from what Shoko does. He's seen plenty of bodies put back together in his life, both successfully and unsuccessfully, but every healer sorcerer does their thing just a little bit different. Tighnari's seems to be a lot more practical and straightforward, not unlike what you'd see in a normal hospital.

And from the sound of it...he knows just how important his role here is. That's good, even if there might be a point in the future where he goes from being busy to being overworked.

It's a thin, thin line, but every sorcerer hits it eventually. Y'know, except for himself, but he's built different, or whatever. ]

Believe me, we'd like to see less of you, too! No offense.

[ A nod to the unconscious boy before them. ]

They'll get there. Don't worry — these students are strong enough they'll hold their own soon enough.

None taken. I feel the same way.

[ seeing more of him means more pain. more suffering. more wounds to seal and stitch up.

as for tighnari's healing.. he does, in fact, prefer a more traditional approach, on the off chance that his healing is not strong enough. better to have sutures in place and bones properly set before applying his energies, lest something go wrong. he's a prolific, powerful healer, but in the grand scheme of things he's still new at using his abilities - so this feels much more comfortable, much more safe.

nevertheless, once he's finished with his sutures, it's time. tighnari removes his gloves and places his bare, padded hands over itadori's abdomen, closing his eyes, allowing the dendro energy to move through him, stirring. small green vines spring from his fingers, tracing along the young man's wounds, spilling green light over them, emanating warmth.

after a few moments of silence, tighnari withdraws his hands with a long, low exhale, his energy pulling back, the vines evaporating. ]

That should do it. He had two broken ribs and some internal bleeding, but with a little rest, now.. he'll be just fine.

[ Oh, he's doing the vines thing. Neato...it's not really like any cursed technique that Gojo has witnessed before, so he watches with rapt attention as Tighnari uses it, and the way it engulfs Itadori's body with vines and light. It's quite unlike Shoko's technique, though to be fair, there's no reason all reversed healing techniques would work the same. They're just far less common.

With a nod, Gojo reaches out to clap a hand against Tighnari's shoulder. ]

Not bad, not bad at all! You know your stuff, I'll give you that. How long ago did you learn to do that? The viney-thingy.

[ Technical terms only here. ]

[ sweats don't ask me how he learned it i don't understand the logistics of jujutsu!! ]

I learned it a long time ago, when I was very young. I suppose I was.. around ten, or so? Something like that.

[ he still remembers the day it manifested, how terrified he had been, but also incredibly interested, incredibly curious. since then, he's mastered it quite well, and learned a few more ways to use it, as well. anyway, he peels off his gloves. ]

He can rest here overnight, then head back to his rooms tomorrow. Strict bedrest, Gojo.

[ No one does, we all just flyin' by the seat of our pants...

In any case, Gojo lifts a hand to his forehead in a salute to Tighnari, and while most of the time he would give such a sign sarcastically, in this instance, he does seem to be pretty sincere, even if a bit silly. ]

Yessir. You got it. I can reassign any pending missions the principal sent his way already. Those old geezers are gonna be livid that he didn't die this time, either...

[ Anytime Yuji gets roughed up in the field, Gojo's at least a little suspicious that the jujutsu elders are involved in the curses that get sent his way. They're still eager to eat Sukuna's vessel kick the bucket, but that isn't Tighnari's problem to worry about. ]

Thanks for your help, as always.

[ tighnari nods. that's just what he wanted to hear. he doesn't know the ins and outs of the politics between the elders, doesn't know everything about yuji's situation, but he's sharp enough to have been able to pick up on the fact that things aren't entirely as they seem, that this boy gets himself put into harm's way far more than his fellows. some of it could be chalked up to reckless carelessness, but..

mm. well. it is what it is. tighnari can only do his job, and voice his opinion. he smiles, and it's tired, but genuine. ]

You're very welcome.

[ he says, and draws the curtains closed. once itadori is awake again, he'll be able to be moved to a more comfortable bed, but for now tighnari will allow him to rest where he is. ]

Are you doing all right?

[ It's probably not unusual to hear that from someone who works as a caretaker, but Gojo is unused to being asked that. He's usually the one asking while others just assume he's fine — he is, because he has to be.

So the response he gives is rote, something rehearsed in the laid-back way it's delivered. ]

Me? Yeah. Always getting better, in fact.

[ His blindfold hide how tired his eyes are, but his smile gives nothing away. ]

[ gojo is very good at hiding the truth, and tighnari can read nothing from his smile and voice, yet he somehow gets the impression that gojo isn't being entirely honest. that there's far more to it than 'always getting better'.

but it's not his place to pry, either. he knows very well that being a jujutsu sorcerer is difficult even on the best of days, and gojo is the strongest of them all. there must be a great deal of weight on his shoulders. ]

All right. Well, should you need anything, you know where to find me. Anything at all.

[ anything at all. treatment of the physical, or otherwise. ]

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