[Saga Prologue|Nimue] A hero's requiem

Despite the thoughtful mood she found herself in, Elise still couldn't help but find herself smiling briefly at Nimue's arrival, for as much as the pro-hero was a teacher at the academy she used to attend, as much as she was someone Elise considered her senior in the medical field, the Eisenberg lass also considered Nimue a friend. "Don't worry about it~ I bet you hand your hands full~ and you still showed up, that is what counts."

The pink-haired woman nodded her head lightly at Nimue's concerned inquiry about her wellbeing, and while she stretched her arms lightly into the air she mused softly. "I could ask the same for you Nimue-senpai~ It must have stung a little, to see the flawed aspect of the hero program now that you stand at the figurative top of the pro hero rankings."

She smiled gently at Nimue as she continued. "I was on standby during the conversation Nezumi-chan participated in, do you remember our last conversation? About how the hero program is starting to feel like commerce? Now that you seen and experienced in, do you notice how this popularity concept only proves to be a detriment to the program? Rather than encouraging one another to improve, to work together and form a united front against the rising tide of villainy, we get our glorious peacekeepers to bicker and leer at each other with envy, competitiveness for the sake of fame and glory, overall it is quite troubling."

She sighed briefly, leaning back against the bench as she looked at the school nurse and hummed softly. "But nonetheless, my words to you were genuine, I truly believe you deserved the credit that you were due. But... does it not frustrate you to see your fellow heroes act like this?"

She went quiet for a bit, considering her next choice of words while giving Nimue an opportunity to reply. It was only afterward that she spoke. "Sometimes when a thing is flawed, you reshape it~ Which is, unfortunately, something beyond the reach of influence either of us has..." She hummed with a smile, the glint in her eyes suggesting she had something planned. "Which simply means we have to expand our sphere of influence~ Which brings me to an idea of sorts, after all if there is one field we both excel in, then it is by all means the medical field."

She leaned forwards slightly, her hand shifting out the tablet in her pocket and presented it to the woman. "It's a list of theories, concepts and ideas my father had in order to improve the medical healthcare for Quirkers, in particular, it provides treatments both for Quirkers and injuries caused by Quirks. But some of the ideas are flawed, a bit too unrefined to be truly considered a medical breakthrough. Which leads me to calling for you~"

She smiled at Nimue, and decided to play her cards. "This is how we will prove ourselves, by creating something that any other medical genius in the world would label outlandish, otherworldly or impossible. A medical breakthrough that will go down in the history books. Not only will we become a step closer to getting that influence we need to make people consider our words as important advice, but it will also help me get a step closer to upholding a promise I made to Tetsu..."

Her smile wavered a little as she continued. "Tetsu's mother her medical condition is by all means, complicated, and through some of those concepts my father was working on I hope to make her able to live a more normal life once more." She went quiet for a bit, pondering about the next part. "To be honest, I don't believe there is anyone else I could rely on to aid me in this research than you, after all I think we both want to do the same thing: Improving life for others, and protecting that which we hold dear at all costs. Of course, I did take some thoughts about the future~" She hummed the last bit like a trickster having a final surprise up her sleeve. "Considering Musutafu is the birthplace of the next generation of heroes, some who might have medical inclined interests, I was musing the idea of using our potential success--- no our 'future' success to press the idea of creating a Quirker focused hospital within Musutafu, a place you could have medical inclined students go for further education, or where those o so reckless students can receive finer treatment, on the surface it would be a step toward improving healthcare for Quirkers, but at the same time it will be a visible testimony to the things we accomplished."

Slowly rising onto her feet she hummed with a sheepish grin upon her lips. "But I imagine that this is a fair share of stuff to take in, so if you need some time to think about it, I wouldn't mind waiting for an answer." Of course there had to be more to it than just that, right? In the end, creating some groundbreaking medical breakthroughs, all for the sake of gaining more influence and creating a hospital in Musutafu? "I guess this would be the first step, to changing the flawed concept of the hero program, but for that to happen we need to become 'someone important', and I'm just a little bit too impatient till I became a grey colored slime grannie who finally garnered enough reputation to do such a thing. No, for us to improve things right here and now, we need to become special~ and I think becoming the 'Number One Doctor' would make for a nice partnership with the Number One Hero~"

She chuckled softly, a hand extended toward Nimue as she seemingly was expecting a handshake. "So Nimue-sensei~ Are you in for this crazy adventure I have in mind?" She could only pray that things would go according to her plans, else she would have to struggle with quite a major setback.

Elise nodded her head, a slightly worried and understanding expression upon her visage as she listened to Nimue's worries and doubts. "You're entirely correct, and in a way I am glad that this wakeup call made you realize the direness of the situation." Indeed, it was a harsh truth, while as individuals they might had been pleasant or interesting in their own ways, take for example Serperior or Red Horn, she genuinely believed they were starting to lose track of something important. She still remembered how Mia had complained about being compared to Blue Agate, and for a while it made Elise chuckle inwardly, in a way that tie had been something symbolic to her.

"It's a sad truth Nimue-" She dropped the honorific to show how serious the topic had become. "Ask most of your colleagues and most will give flowery words or state the answers we aren't looking for: What is a hero? I always firmly believed those who hold the title of hero shouldn't consider it a job, it's a calling. There is no denying that popularity aid in gaining the trust of the people, but by all means it isn't a priority. What is the purpose of a hero is to aid the people in any way you can, and your colleagues are first and foremost that: partners, and only afterwards they are rivals."

She chuckled for a moment. "When Mia declared her disdain for being compared to Blue Agate, I was genuinely amused. I won't deny that her actions during her rampage were out of her hands, but does she even realize that it is a wonder that she still possesses a hero license? The amount of paperwork and coverups the Public Safety Commission had to do to ensure there wouldn't be riots? Nezumi went as far as pulling three all-nighters in a row, to the point I had to ask if she planned to get a coffee transfuse to keep working~ She truly is the coverup queen."

But the fact remained, that some of them were going too lightly over their own actions. "With great power comes even greater responsibility, and heroes have some of the greatest responsibilities a person could have." And until the day where she could make it clear to society about how important it was to keep in mind that being called a hero was a privilege that came with its responsibilities, she would have to struggle to make her opinion understood.

"Hachi-sensei isn't entirely wrong, those who separate their private life from the media often end up developing this 'feeling', like... When you hear the name Witch Doctor people immediately know the benevolent yet just and determined healer who would do her utmost to aid and protect the weak, but the name doesn't directly connect with Nimue Nakahara, right? It's quite similar in the idol industry, people like the feeling that they are more... perfect than others, they want to see the hero, without necessarily acknowledging the person, even if they are doing themselves a disservice~"

When Nimue shook her hand Elise's smile brightened, a firm nod being given in return. "It might not solve all our problems at once, but it is a powerful start: Not just in order for us to improve things within the hero society, but also in order to ensure that we can, and will improve life for those who can't protect themselves. After all, heroes and doctors are both heroes~" She gave Nimue a playful wink and gestured toward the door where the staircase leading back into the hospital was waiting for them.

"I look forward to working with you partner~ For our first concept I actually been brainstorming one of the fundamental basic ideas my father had for a treatment in the form of pharmaceutical remedies." As she waited for Nimue to look at the tablet, Elise carefully guided her back into the hospital.

"Currently Quirk usage for most things require specific regulations, permissions and licenses and such. However, some quirks tend to possess such beneficial effects that in most cases it would be essential for us to learn to use them in the medical field. Some examples would be Melody-chan's healing water, Angelica-chan's healing candies, or indeed my own body and fluids. I have been considering the concept of extending the lifespan of such 'Quirk Medicine', some options involve giving it treatment like freezing it slightly in a fridge, basically improving the conditions to preserve it, but one major issue remains that for most Quirks, regeneration is also debilitating since our Quirks are recognized as foreign substances by the human body. In my case, I can actively adjust my Quirk to be compatible with a person's body if I got enough data, but there remains the issue that it is something I can only do while actively treating people."

She sighed softly, scratching the back of her neck lightly while musing softly. "I been trying to think of how we can adapt our medicine to also function on others without the negative downside of the human body trying to counter our treatment. We can't expect to manually treat each dosage for every individual patient, it needs to be something that can apply to everyone. Some sort of missing ingredient within the medical stew so to speak~ And unfortunately I tend to leave the cooking to Tetsu."

Elise chuckled briefly as they started to descend the stairs, seemingly on the way to one of the floors of the hospital, in particular the office that Elise could proudly call her own. Still, it was a good start, to know she had Nimue aiding her in brainstorming those ideas, after all there were some things a person couldn't do by themselves, and she believed that by working alongside her, the two would finally be able to find the answers that till now had always been out of reach for her. "Hmm... something to make the medicine compatible with every single human body in the world..."

Nimue had a point: there was a lot to consider. After all if they left the hero program the way it was right now, then it was unlikely anything would change. It was only by taking initiative and making the effort to change things, that they could try to improve the nature of the program. Of course, the question that Nimue posed herself made sense: How much would they be able to change? Elise wasn't entirely sure of that either. Considering the hero program's regulations were primarily done by the Hero Oversight Committee, it was evident it would take time, effort and influence in order to reach that point. But that didn't mean that Elise didn't want to try to improve things: as long as there was a possibility, she would end up trying.

Neither was she the type to suggest it without a backup plan. She planned to approach the principal of the hero academy also: Trying to convince Touma of the importance of having Quirked individuals who were capable of doing the job of a pro hero but were far more disciplined and focused on the mission rather than their personal reputation. Although she liked Mia as a person, Elise had to admit that as a hero? She had her flaws, then again everyone had flaws, but she did get why her rankings had dropped.

A hand raised to her cheek as Elise pondered about the state of things. There was a certain rift between the heroes, something that made it difficult for them to cooperate at times. It reminded Elise of one of the flaws of the hero program. In a way it was a system that was meant to encourage heroes to become well-liked by the public, but for many, it would become a priority... they took too much importance in those elections... "Indeed, in a way the public sees you as Witch Doctor, rather than Nimue Nakahara, that is one of the similarities between the hero program and the idol industry as an example."

A brief smile lingered on her lips at Nimue's response to her joke, yet the focus soon returned back to the research. "It's not impossible..." She recalled the events of when Thunder Shock poisoned the hero academy's water supply and the way they had discovered the solution. "In the past I experienced something similar: I collaborated with a former student of the academy in developing a cure against a virus of sorts that spread around the school. Her quirk involved being able to manipulate the properties of her blood. If we were to obtain the collaboration of someone with similar properties, we could alter the medicine with it..."

She pondered out loud as they reached her office, and upon opening the door she guided Nimue inside, moving over to her desk where she had prepared several documents. "Hmm... but we'd have to find a Quirker who is capable of doing this, and willing to collaborate- unless..." She peered at the documents and mumbled softly. "The human body is made up out of a large part of water, an alternative would be to get Melody to infuse the medicine with her water, as a liquid solution her quirk should be able to neutralize the properties that make the human body consider it a foreign substance."

She nodded her head a few times and mused softly. "Although... as the school nurse of the hero academy you do possess access to the medical supplies of the school. If I recall right Rin Kurama had stored some vials of her blood in the nurse office, if they are still there we could work on replicating them."

Blood and water, she wasn't sure if it would work, but they had to start somewhere~

Elise nodded her head in agreement to Nimue's words. "Thank you~ I appreciate it a lot since I don't know Melody-chan that well yet." Meanwhile as she pondered about the situation with Rin, Elise listened attentively to the school nurse's opinion. "You're right, although it is difficult to find Quirkers who fit the specific profile, however, should we succeed in finding a donor, something to base our sample on, then replicating it would be simple enough." Indeed, the reason Rin's blood was so valuable was because it contained adaptability, in essence making it that given the right situation, they could alter other blood to match the same properties as that of Rin. Essentially it followed a concept similar to cloning theories.

"I think it's best that I figure out a way to contact Jasmine, maybe she might know something, and she deserves to know our objective for the samples. That aside, do you think there is anyone among the students at the academy right now that would have the potential or interest in learning the medical field?"

It was a soft musing as she leaned back in her chair. "That aside, if we were to succeed, and create this 'medicine that can be replicated over and over again', what would you do with it? People likely would offer you millions for it."

A trivial question, and since she knew the answer already it was pretty much a jest. "I do admit that the Red Horn rampage made me realize the difference... it's hard to describe but compared to the riot unit I guided during my work in the Public Safety Commission, the people in the field during that event felt less tight, it didn't feel like a 'team'. You were there Nimue, do you believe that you were acting as a squad back then?"

Elise chuckled softly and nodded her head gently. "Never forget those feelings Nimue: We do this because we want to help people, not because we want to get rich out of it. It's because of those kind and pure feelings of yours that I respect you so much, both as a doctor and as a hero." She smiled softly as she nodded her head in affirmation to Mia's answer to her question.

"A lack of discipline, no leadership to follow, traditional disorder within a program that lacks a chain of command." She mused softly, thinking further on the matter till she started to grab the digital pen and scribe onto the tablet. "So we got a healthy share of students who might be interested in the medical field."

She paused for a moment, looking to the tablet. "About Mia by the way, were you able to extract the drug from her samples? Building a vaccine might be a good idea if we got a villain on the loose that is able to make people go berserk." Of course it was important for both of them to look beyond just this mission they had started, as one could easily say that the two of them were key figures within Japan's medical world currently."

Elise smiled gently at Nimue's words of gratitude, the dropping of her formality being something Elise appreciated immensely. After all she was someone who usually only tended to be formal during her work and preferred to be more casual and friendly outside of those hours. Of course, as the topic went on toward the end of the vacation, Elise chimed in return. "That's a good idea, there can always be students who might care about others, who want to help their loved ones but don't know where to start. I'm sure your lessons will motivate them into seeing the usefulness of the medical field."

"A biologist? That makes sense, I hope she has been able to discover some sort of clue about it." After all, despite her harsh opinion she did consider Mia a friend, and wanted to avoid the risk of a repeat of events. "For now I think that's the best thing we can do on that front, although the research will take some time, I'd suggest that we focus on bolstering our support in the meanwhile: While you check with the students you mentioned, I'll focus on approaching Jasmine and see if I can pull some strings to take a peek at the Quirk register to see if there is anyone that might match the profile we need for this research."