After a realistic arm model is made, the doctors got to practicing right away.
It genuinely just look like a chopped off limb laying on on a metal table.
Lucky for me, I get to watch this process.
And honestly...
I passed out.
The fake blood spurting everywhere when they accidently cut the wrong spot made a pretty convincing murder mystery scene. With the way everyone feel silent as the tiny cut spill enough red liquid flood the bench, Nightingale stop the pressure from afar. It splattered unnaturally, painting the even the ceiling in horrific marks.
Dang...
This is scary.
Dread is now my ever vigilant watcher, breathing down my neck.
Even in the modern world, I had never had any procedure of this kind before. My ecstatic slowly died down by the day the more I watch.
And it also doesn't help when after 2 days of surgery simulation, Nightingale suddenly had the bright ideas to make something to aid the process since it was hard to see a lot of things doing delicate work like this.
She locked herself in the guest room along with a mountain of parts and papers with odd sound ringing out every once in a while. It is one thing that she give prior notify beforehand, but since she did not respond to any call for two day straight, they ask the head maid to unlock the door before anyone decided to break it down instead.
Everything was ok.
Probably.
We found her crouching on the floor, tinkering with some delicate piece of equipment. There were several model strewn across the floor, most half finished, some with chunks torn out to graphed into another prototyped.
A few were big, clearly was abandoned by the lack of sufficient parts.
Most were dwindling in size, getting smaller the closer they were to her at her current position.
You could clearly see the chronological order of Nightingale's train of thought.
Following that trail, you can spot the first spark laying furthest away in the corner. It is now but a shell and a sneeze away from total collapse as it was stripped bare down to the very bone.
There was no paper available in the room so it seems she was very resourceful with her material. Some scraps had metal craving on them, the floor had some attempts in records but notably failed. And lastly, around her right now was the sheet she took from the bed, the clean and pure white edges now filled with what any normal person assumed to be the devil's curse.
Which sadly, isn't what it is.
She just had really bad hand writing.
Standing at the doorframe, no one really felt like stepping in for the fear of what kind of lego pieces would be on the floor.
" Ah."
As if we haven't been yelling outside the door for the past 30 minutes, she look up from the trinkets in her hand and stood up from the floor.
Without waiting for any of our questions, Nightingale pulled up the sheet she had been scribbling on and made an entire presentation with Selinus somehow getting dragged forward as a guinea pig.
There was a very long 30 minutes spiel but I will give you the gist of it.
' It basically an attempt to those ultra HD microscopic zoom in device that they use surgery.'
It was small enough to fit in my palm, the exposed gears and inscribed formula really gave it a bit of that steampunk vibe. The item itself look questionable but effect-wise it work like a charm. Nightingale circle Selinus like an bird while checking how well it fit on a person's face.
Without mentioning questionable exterior, Selinus couldn't help but marvel for a second of how something like this could be make so quickly with that pile of scraps she had. He look down on his hand closing his right eye as the scope only dawned over his left eye.
He could even see the very grain of his finger print, not to mention a rather clear picture of his very cells. This will be extremely useful for his future research...
Maybe he can even dissect a grape!
Anyway...
Despite not being able to read her own hand writing, she still gave us a rough estimate of use-time cycle. It was clear she was very proud of what she had made, and understandably so. This would be groundbreaking for many reasons, mostly for military usage first before any pipe dream of modern tool can be formed.
Selinus cut the energy supply to the tool before blowing a heavy sigh...
And smack Nightingale square on the head with his empty hand.
" You will be on house arrest with Lady Amelia starting today." He said, each words pushed out with so much restraint, it sounded like he is trying to go number two instead of delivering a verdict.
However helpful this trinket is for the next few day, in the past two days, she basically had been abstaining from every normal human activity. And putting that in the standard of the Laurel family's servant, you are technically asking for death.
It is not like they can stop you of course, everyone in this family do that sometime.
But it would feel a bit like an insult to their craft. They would literally grab you by the shoulder and shaking you like a bulldozer begging you to let them take care of you.
" Seeing as this is how you choose to your daily pursuits, you will be sharing her schedule from now on. Plus, you will be demoted to an observer for the surgery in four days." He turn to the head maid, who then turned to my ladies in waiting, who then turn to look at both me and Nightingale.
" Aw." She let out a disappointed protest before getting dragged out of the room by her own researchers.
It felt almost routine for them as they hauled her away to get something to eat.
Head maid got someone to clean up the room, moving the remains of tech into a storage room near the surgery room instead.
She is now another member of our ragtag team of wanderers through this estate.
As we hang out in the pantry with everyone, I couldn't help but shudder at bit at the thought of getting open up.
Due to equipment calibration issues, I will not be getting a whiff of anesthesia until the main hit on the poison headquarter. Numbing agent will still be administered but I would be getting a 4K view of the experience.
The patient fainting mid operation wouldn't be good right?
Good grief...
I stir the batter like a broken whisk on 2% fuel, barely mixing anything.
Even my thoughts could do a better job at this then my hand.
"...!"
I almost jumped on the table, a cold spoon arrived on the corner of my mouth. A light frosty feeling lingered where it was, follow be the delightful flavor of fresh strawberries.
The sweet cream melted away, leaving behind the coolness.
Ah.
Ice cream.
" Would you like some cookies?" Nightingale crouch down to my level, hold a small metal tester filled with cold sorbet, the condensation on the container forming into beads, rolling down her fingers.
I took the small container into my hand, the spoon falling back into the unmixed ingredients.
She held out a saucer with crushed white chunks, waiting for me to take some.
It was meringues.
Someone slipped over a plate of cute animal cookies, the oven's warmth still float around in the air. Big and reliable arm took over the bowl of batter, mixing rhythmically while chatting with his nieces and nephews.
It was father.
We ran to him on the way here, and he decided to join us. The kitchen staff naturally make space just like last time, some remaining to help make some snacks. He placed the bowl on a coaster thing, to stop it from slipping.
His now free hand naturally find my head, fixing the frayed strands.
Every once in a while, picking up an adorable cookie and feed it to me with every bite of cool ice cream. Melting meringue meld itself into the sweetness, settling into the rowdy background of the room.