saturnia pavonia

perseus
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
LURKER MEMBER
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Multiple posts per day
  3. 1-3 posts per day
  4. One post per day
  5. Multiple posts per week
Online Availability
12 pm-10:30 pm (with some exceptions)
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
  2. Beginner
  3. Elementary
  4. Intermediate
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
  2. No Preferences
Genres
Fantasy, Mystery, Scifi, Romance, Yaoi, Yuri, Horror
Well, it certainly wasn’t easy but Ricky had managed to do it. With one hand holding the crumpled up flyer and the other pulling a makeshift sled with a suspiciously large and... human shaped cargo, he managed to achieve his goal of properly digging up a body that this anatomist so desperately needed.

Admittedly, it was a rushed decision. He had seen the flyer in a puddle outside the tavern he decided to spend the night in as to avoid the rain. A little drunk, incredibly bored and desperately broke, why wouldn’t he take the opportunity? He didn’t know how much it would pay but he assumed it would be more than he would earn trying to find scrap metal, so what did he have to lose? Jail time?

It wasn’t hard to find a sturdy shovel and a sack. Some snooping around and quick wit, he managed to steal what he needed with little to no fight outside of an old man who had bitterly grumbled. He had a positive name for himself and, after insisting he was good for it, ran out into the night with his tools in hand, ready to get what he needed done.

The work was grueling but nothing he wasn’t used to. Ricky wasn’t an idiot, though, and chose the freshest grave to dig. Was it a bad decision to do this all on a rainy day? Sure. Definitely. He didn’t care, though, and while it caused him to sink a few times and made it more difficult to pull the body out, it did soften the coffin enough to pry it open without much struggle. Where the true challenge came from was subtly trying to bury the grave back up. It was haphazard and there were not-so-subtle signs that there had been a robbery but he sure as hell tried his best and that was what mattered, right?

So, in the early hours of four in the morning, Ricky had miraculously managed to be subtle in his travels... despite being covered in mud and carrying a suspicious, adult man sized sack around. He took the back road as best as he could but it was inevitable to be greeted by some and, thanks to his more positive reputation by some, he was able to spin a tale that he had found a job working for a farmer. It made no sense, he knew that... but it was apparently convincing enough for the occasional passerby.

He had found the school pretty easily. He had heard rumors of it by his friends, those of whom often taunted the students and their wealth. While still a bit inebriated, he somehow managed to appear at the front door. He was a poor sight to be seen, What with being completely soaked and caked in mud, but who cared? What mattered was the body, that of which was relatively pristine bar a bit of rot around the left food.

“Oi, this is the right place, yeah? If not, this will be quite awkward,” Ricky teases after a hearty knock on the door. There was a full possibility that no one would answer due to the early morning but, if that was the case, he would wait. He was desperate for some extra coin and waiting a few hours would be worth it. “I, uh... read your flyer. I think I’ve got what you want?”
 
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Joseph was almost certain he had made the right choice in placing posters up, though it didn't stop his conscience from nagging at him that he had only encouraged atrocities to be committed.

He had posted the flyers around the areas he knew the poorest people tended to live; the people desperate for cash and willing to do whatever it took to get some. It wasn't responsible or even morally right of him to exploit their desperation, but he argued to himself that it was for science's gain; for the young students who would be the people's doctors in the future. They needed their education, and he had a duty and an obligation to provide them with that.

Currently, he couldn't do that when cadavers were in such limited supply, and the ones he did get through his door weren't in a good enough state for him to teach his students with, hence his plan to post up flyers to bring the bodies to his door. He knew he was encouraging the poorest people in the city to go out and rob a grave to get their hands on a body in exchange for a generous amount of cash, and the idea was still causing him a great deal of guilt. He hadn't had anyone take him up on the offer yet, but the idea that someone might made him uneasy... even if he was certain it was the right thing to do.

With his already pretty substandard sleeping schedule, the man was wide awake as he calmly examined some papers from his students, ensuring that each of them was keeping up with the demanding work-- and at least understanding it all. With a cigar in one hand, a quill in the other, and a small glass of Scottish whiskey at his side, he was quite content sat marking papers in the dimly lit office, almost so content that his conscience was giving him a rest.

That would all change when he heard Ricky call out from below, at least, paling almost immediately in realisation that what was formally just some idea had now become a reality. He could ignore him, or tell him that the idea was rescinded, but he didn't do that-- of course he didn't. He needed the bodies.

It took him a minute or two to reach the front door, ushering in the other from the rain before he even got a good look at him. Only when the door was safely shut behind them did he turn to examine Ricky calmly, as well as the large sack he dragged in behind himself.

"...Yes, well. Thank you," he began awkwardly and sharply, his lips pursed in recognition that there was a grave out there with no body in it; a family's loved one was uprooted from their eternal resting place. The only comfort he felt was that this man would at least be giving his body for science; that was at least something positive to come from the grim situation.

"You'll need to carry this down to the lab. I can place the cadaver out ready for tomorrow's lesson, you won't need to handle it. Then you'll get your money," the man continued as he briskly began to head down the corridor, gesturing the other to quickly follow behind. "...You didn't drag the... body all the way here like this, did you? Did anyone see you?"
 
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“I made a little cart to pull him most of the way,” Ricky immediately replied, groaning as he managed to hitch the man onto his shoulder. He would regret it later but buying a pint with the money he made from the whole thing would make up for it, right? So, as he adjusted the body, he took in the corridor curiously. It was eerie, he noted, and he fully expected a much older man... though it seemed that the attitude he expected the older man somehow still matched Joseph despite still being relatively young.

“I better be getting a hefty ‘mount for all of this,” he tried to tease as he groaned, shivering when the draft from the corridor hit. “Oh - was I seen? Yeah, a few fellas saw me on the way but I explained my way out of it, no worries.”

Growing quiet as he followed, the young man only spoke again once flopping the body onto the examination table, tugging off the sack with a triumphant smile. It was complete chance that he had found a relatively fresh body, nearly everything intact with little to no bloating. It wasn’t perfect but Ricky wasn’t one to be known for being ‘perfect’.

“Ain’t he a beaut?” He commented before dusting off his hand on his slacks, taking in the body of the clearly overweight man presented to them. “Hope it’s everything you asked for, yeah? Now, not to be pushy or nothin’ but I spent the night getting this prime patient for ‘ya, may I have my reward?”

It could be seen as creepy, the seemingly cheery vibe given off from the Irishman. He had spent all night digging and dragging a body about, caked in mud and soaked through, yet here he was with his hands on his hips and a proud smile. He had seen death before, the idea didn’t scare him much. He also didn’t have a connection with the body so why did he care? Sticking out the now somewhat clean hand, he nodded.

“I’m sure you don’t care for my name and I’m sure I shouldn’t tell ‘ya but I’m Ricky,” he greeted casually as he scraped his worn-out shoes on the concrete to try and get a little mud off of them.
 
Aside from a little rotting, the body was in far better condition than he expected it to be. He would have smiled quietly, though that felt wrong to do given the situation was as morbid as it was. Instead, he slipped on a pair of gloves to inspect the body, lifting back the neck gently and tilting the corpse's head with a faint murmur to himself in approval.

"You're right," he uttered after several minutes of silence had passed by, during which he completely ignored the attempt of a handshake. He wasn't so rude that he'd normally do such a thing, but he didn't really want to shake hands with Ricky when his hand wasn't fully clean of the mud and dirt. "I don't care what your name is. The less personal we make this, the better. I don't want people making connections between us, assuming you do this for me again. I'd rather keep this nice and impersonal; strictly business. I'm sure you can find out my name if you wished, because I won't be formally introducing myself to you."

With a final glance over the cadaver, he nodded slowly and placed the cover over it, placing his gloves aside to be able to fiddle in his pocket for a generous amount of cash. With the several pound notes handed over to the other, he offered a thin-lipped smile in the effort to look as appreciative as he felt.

"It's a lot of money, but you've gone through a lot of trouble so it's the least you're owed. Just know the price remains the same if you wished to do this again. I'm not advocating you to do so, but... the reward is certainly good if you did."
 
Counting the money with a wide smile, he slipped the cash into his pocket haphazardly. He would have wished for more, though he knew he was the prime example of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. Nonetheless, most of it would be spent on some warm food and a few nights sleep. While he would deny that he was lacking in morals and that he was a proper Catholic boy, he could easily twist that into following the Lord’s work... somehow.

“So if I were to come back again, you’d give me more money?” He confirmed with a raised brow. “I mean, that’s a hypothetical. Now, more hypotheticals, when could I stop by? Not to be rude or anything but I can’t stop by at high noon casually with a bloody body at my side, yeah?” He teased, going as far as to offer a nudge. “Secondly - hypothetically - whatexactly do you want? I mean, I can slip in and Snag whatever you want. I’ve got quick fingers, yeah?” He snorted, doing all he could to keep the air comfortable despite the stolen body laid right before them both.

“Ah... anyway... I’ll leave you to it,” he eventually decided once realizing he wasn’t having the same eager energy in return. “‘Ya boy gonna get a proper meal tonight, thanks to you! Thanks, sir.”
 
The cheery demeanour was something he could appreciate in a person, but not from a stranger he had just met under these circumstances. It felt particularly weird for the other to be so cheery and casual when he had broken into a grave and uprooted a dead body. If the situations were reversed, Joseph knew he would be a wreck. He wasn't a squeamish person - his work as an anatomist revolved around working with dead bodies and cutting them open to teach his students about the workings of the human body, but digging up a body was morbid and completely immoral. He knew he wouldn't be able to be as relaxed as Ricky seemed to be.

Grimacing at the behaviour -and grimacing further at the nudge he was offered-, he reached to place a sheet over the body with a faint sight. In an ideal world, the situation would be a one-off; he wouldn't need to arrange any more meetings with Ricky. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice.

"...I'll need to consult my diary. Sometimes the students have days where they stay here late to clean up and prepare for the next day. You'll need to come to my office so I can check," he mumbled, wincing further once taking a glance at Ricky's muddy shoes. He didn't want him in his clean office space, but again, he didn't have a choice - though he could limit the amount of mess created. "Take your shoes off before you get in there, I work hard to keep it clean."
 
Blinking in surprise at the invitation, he did hold back the urge to smile again. While he often wasn’t one to read a room, he could tell that Joseph was clearly uncomfortable by him. He fully intended to leave and just slip into the night, return the next morning or perhaps the morning after and do it all again. He’d go to church and properly pray to help his conscious and everything would be fine. He was doing this for science, right?

“Oh, Ah - sure,” he quickly murmured before slipping off his shoes, exposing his relatively clean socks despite the small holes in both. He told himself he would get a new pair eventually when he had the chance and it seemed that, that chance had finally come his way. Wriggling his toes a bit, he held onto his beat up shoes tight with another smile.

“Ah, alright! I mean, I sure as hell ain’t doing much, so it’s all up to you,” he explained as he adjusted his weight, sticking close to the doctor with a new air of curiosity. He could only imagine just how pristine the office probably was, if the operating theater was any evidence.
 
As predicted, the office was immaculate. It wasn't the biggest space, with most room being taken over by the wall of files, books and papers behind his traditional (and relatively expensive) desk, but if it was one thing, the office was spectacularly clean. He couldn't deal with a single file being out of place, or a crumb left on his desk - it would just end up driving him insane. The only thing he didn't really like was the smoke in the room from his cigar smoking - he couldn't open any of the windows in his office, so dealing with the smoke was the only option. He didn't mind it too much because he was a smoker, but he imagined it wasn't too pleasant for those who weren't.

"...Ignore the smoke. I'm working on having those windows fixed," he mumbled again as he made his way to his desk, retrieving the large desk diary. "Mondays and Tuesdays are the days the students come in late to prepare; Sundays are obviously out of the question... You can come here on any other day, preferably after midnight. I'll be here, I don't go home until the early hours, so it should be suitable to you... assuming you're willing to help me and my students out again. It's... important, you understand? The work I do is important so your help is... well, it's greatly appreciated."

Smiling quietly again (albeit for a second or two), he shut the diary and reached for the whiskey he had been drinking before Ricky's arrival. "I think that's all I'll need from you tonight... Ricky. I'll hopefully see you soon?"
 
“Well, on account that tomorrow is Thursday, I think you can be expecting me,” he replied with a wriggle of his brows, a smile of his own growing as he dared to wander a bit around the office, coughing somewhat violently from the smoke. He had never been rich enough to afford a cigar, completely oblivious to his undiagnosed asthma. He simply put off the idea and considered the violent cough as normal. His mother briefly considered consumption though when their son seemed to not drop dead, they waived it off.

Rubbing his chest to try and smooth the pain in his lungs, he stared at the books and papers that lined the walls with clear interest. He often wasn’t given the opportunity to read despite his talent for doing so, so to see so much material, he had to force back the urge to pick up a book to skim. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew that the doctor would most likely freak out if he got a speck of dirt on anything.

“I think I can handle it,” he reassured, forcing himself back from the books. “I promise only the best, Ah... subjects? Corpses. No reason to dance around it, sir,” he shrugged before taking a step on the stairs to properly slip into the beaten shoes.
 
"As long as they're in a decent condition, you'll get your money in full. If they're less than perfect but still workable, that'll do fine too. Like I said, I appreciate it's a difficult... job for you, and the least you deserve is a proper payment," he decided, his own eyes focused on the papers on his desk. He still felt ridiculously terrible about the situation and how much trouble he could get into for knowingly taking the bodies, but it was a risk worth taking.

It was either resort to these measures, or let his students suffer the consequences of not having anything to work with. And not having properly educated future doctors and surgeons was only going to impact society, wasn't it? He was doing what was unfortunately necessary for the betterment of science and society.

"...Tomorrow, then. Good night, Ricky," he murmured as politely and friendly as he could manage. It wasn't particularly easy for him to be that way with strangers, let alone someone clearly below his class. He wasn't all that elitist, despite the people he associated with being that way, but he was definitely wary of them. The few times he had engaged with people like Ricky often ended with cusses aimed at him, or his wallet close to being stolen. While Ricky seemed nice, he couldn't be too careful.
 
“Don’t you mean good morning?” He tried to tease in response to at least leave on a positive note. He heard rumors of the rich and how they would curse men like him, saying things like he was a waste of space or that he wasn’t worth much. Clearly, Joseph was one of those in that system and there would be no surprise if he was looked down upon. Walking in soaked and covered in mud probably wasn’t a good representation of him.

“Yeah, gotcha. Good morning, doctor,” he replied, going as far as to bow politely. Sure, he probably did more work than he needed to for 7 pounds but he was thankful nonetheless. “It’ll be the prettiest corpse in Edinburgh.”

Now, Ricky was one to keep his word. After an evening of filling his belly and getting some proper sleep, he was thankful for a night without rain. He was still covered in a hefty amount of mud but he had managed to buy some new shoes and clothes to make up for it. Quickly knocking on the door, he was far more sober than last time... which led to him to realize just how dangerous the situation was.

“Oi, doc! Open up!” He loudly whispered, his eyes darting warily. The body was smaller - a woman - and once again there was little rot. It was lighter on his arms which were regrettably sore but it was worth it! The flesh on the face was a little... well, quite a bit rotten but the rest of the body was in pristine condition. At one in the morning, he was glad that the witnesses were few and far between.
 
And once again, Joseph was quick to hurry to the door and beckon the other in, taking a brief glance around before shutting the door safely behind him.

A long day of work had somehow ridden him of the guilt he felt just yesterday about the situation. Instead of warily glancing at the bag containing the dug-up body, he did allow himself to smile at the realisation he had another body to teach the students with. That day had gone wonderfully as far as he was concerned, given he was able to gather his students around and show them how to dissect the first body Ricky brought him. He could teach, and that's what he liked to do more than anything else.

Another body just ensured him another full week or two of teaching, and he had plenty of reason to smile about that.

"Ah yes, of course. You know where it needs to go," he replied as he began down the corridor towards the operating room, where, inside, the body of the first man was cut open, the inside of his body on full display. It explained why the doctor had on his medical gloves and donned his apron, at least.

"Excuse this, I was taking some notes. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see how the man died," he admitted as he calmly dealt with the body to at least place the skin back in its proper place. He doubted Ricky wanted to see all the organs on display - at least the ones that Joseph hadn't removed to show his students, at least. "You can place the other body on the table over there, that'll do nicely."
 
There was one thing to look at a dead body because you could always just pretend that they weren’t dead, for the most part. To see the flaps and layers of the skin, peering into the cavity to the organs and bones was a whole other thing. Forcing back the urge to vomit, he offered a nervous smile and laugh to keep his stomach calm.

“Ah... great. Looks like you’re doing the Lord’s work,” he replied with shaky voice. “Looks like... fun? Look, I ain’t going to pretend that this isn’t giving me the shivers, mate, but I’m glad you’re doing some help. You’re also giving me enough cash to find a place to sleep,” he admitted. “Hey, maybe I could get a check up from you~? I mean, I don’t want to prematurely be on your operating table, mate.•
 
The doctor was more than aware that the sight of the body would have been horrifying. He had had many students during his two years of teaching grow pale during their first dissection, and several few had passed out. Those students were the ones that didn't make the cut, who eventually decided a medical career wasn't exactly for them. It was an easy way to decipher who had it in them to go the whole way, but that was regarding his students. He hadn't exactly wanted Ricky to be witness to his work like this. He was desensitised to the sight of the bodily organs and whatnot by now -it was his work, after all- so he rather forgot how people outside of the medical world might react to sights like this.

"...It is important work. Messy work, granted, and I suppose it's not a pretty sight, but it's vitally important. Which is why I'm happy to offer you more money if that's what you're hinting at. The rate is seven pounds right now, isn't it? I could potentially offer you a round ten pounds, if it means you continue your... work for me," he began as he calmly took his gloves off and set his scalpel aside, glancing over at the younger man. "I won't be able to go higher than that, it'd be ridiculous-- but ten pounds seems reasonable."
 
Deciding to turn away from the body to at least stop his growing urge to pass out or perhaps even vomit, he held out his hand expectantly. Unlike last time, where he was happy to spend a bit more time in the operating theater to check up on a world he knew he could never afford to be a part of, he wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

“Yeah, uh... you have more guts than I do... literally,” he replied, a small smile creeping on his lips at the pun. Once again, he was one to try and lighten up a mood and this time, it was clearly intended to cheer him up, not the other way around. “ ‘‘Tis not my cup of tea, so... perhaps I should leave you to your fun. I’m sure you will miss my company until next time but you have two friends now thanks to me.”
 
"Would you care for a whiskey or something? You look like you're about to pass out. I can't have you cracking your head open on the floor of the theatre now, can I? Besides, the money's in my desk drawer upstairs, so it's not any problem for me to make you a quick drink while we're there. Selfishly, I don't want you to pass out and die. It'd make acquiring bodies particularly difficult for me, after all," he laughed quietly as he washed his hands, drying them off on the apron as he hanged it back up.

He was evidently trying his best when it came to being polite and sociable with Ricky, however difficult it was for him. The younger man was risking a lot for a few pounds, after all. He might be slightly intimidating to Joseph (solely because of the class difference and his experience with men from the working class), but he was at least trying to see past it.

"...When did you get to Scotland? Your accent isn't from around here; it's Irish, if I'm not mistaken," he began. Despite his preference not to get personal, it was hard to be nice and polite without asking general questions.
 
“Whiskey sounds lovely,” he quickly replied. Not only would some proper alcohol calm his nerves, the offer also meant he was going to get some for free and, if Joseph’s appearance and occupation were signs of anything, it meant it would be pretty classy stuff. Adjusting himself nervously, he kept an eye closed to avoid any more sights of the body.

Following the other to the office with a silent sigh of relief, thankful that the smell of the corpse was replaced with that of lingering cigar smoke, taking the chance of poor lungs over the chance of vomiting any day.

“Oh, found me out then, yeah?” He replied teasingly as he ran a hand across his face. “I’ve been here a few months, though enough to have some friendly folk to spend time with. It seems that people are a little hesitant to hire me for proper jobs, though I’m not surprised. It’s still better than my home back in Ireland, if I’m to be honest.”
 
"I'm sure you'll land on your feet soon enough, Ricky. The money you earn from me could be put to good use, couldn't it? You seem like someone with an entrepreneurial spirit about you," he complimented softly, turning his back to pour out the whiskey into two glasses. Of course, he didn't know Ricky well enough to establish whether he could make it, and the chances of him ever doing so were slim. Those that came from money had all the opportunities; Joseph was living proof of that.

He had worked his ass off through school to get his qualifications, but he was the youngest doctor the school had ever had teaching for a reason. Unfortunately, it wasn't based on his credentials. However smart and talented he was, his surname as what got him the job, and he had no doubt that that was how society seemed to work. Those from money with respected family could get whatever they wanted. Was it fair? No, but he couldn't exactly do anything to change it.

Besides, he had seen some men from lower classes make their money. The 'new money' class wasn't one that was really respected in the circles Joseph moved in, but there was no denying that some of those men could establish themselves through hard work and determination. Who was he to doubt Ricky could do the same?

"I would offer you a job as a cleaner here, but that would involve cleaning the operating theatre, and you don't seem to do too well down there. Besides, the money is measly. You own much more doing the... deliveries for me."
 
Ricky was no lightweight and, when there wasn’t much to do without a job, you spent your time in the tavern. Through charming smiles and sweet words, he often was given a free drink. When given the 7 pound, he bought a round for the others in the bar. He regretted it in a way - he had gone through s hefty amount of money in one night - but he was also able to thank the regulars and made friends with a few new costumers.

Hence why he was so eager to get another body despite being a bit too sober this time. To earn an extra 3 pounds was worth it, though. He promised himself and the Lord he would pray away the guilt.

“Ah, thank you,” He whispered before easily chugging back the cup of whiskey without a second thought, setting the glass back down casually. “To be honest, I’m surprised you didn’t kick me to the curb the minute I dropped the body off, yeah? Though you were right, I probably would have passed out and you’d have a bit too many corpses on your hand.”
 
"I couldn't allow you to leave when you looked as pale as a sheet, it wouldn't have been responsible for me. As desperate as I am for... cadavers, I'd rather not cause anyone's death, and I'd feel responsible if I sent you out into the night when you looked that faint. A whiskey or two should give you some strength back," he smiled, topping the other's glass up just once more as he retreated to his desk to pull out an envelope of the cash. He had anticipated the other's return long enough to prepare the money, before he had doubted Ricky would be mad enough to continue.

All things considered, he was clearly glad he had chosen to proceed with their arrangements. He had no real concerns anymore about it, and while he was smart enough to know that the way these bodies were brought to him was wrong on so many levels, he also knew the positives outweighed the negatives.

"I have two corpses and that should last me a good while. It takes a week or two to go over everything with my students, and they take their time whilst studying, so... well, there's no need to bring another for a week or two. It might be wise to leave some time go by."