etraya | un: Bachelor

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Attention Fellow People of Etraya,

I am Doctor Daniil Dankovsky, Bachelor of Medicine. As I understand it, few of you have seen a doctor lately. That simply won’t do! Please, don’t wait to get sick to establish care. I am situated in the hospital, ready to take consent forms and make updated medical histories. At least a few of you have unaddressed concerns, I just know it. The average person comes to see the doctor when it’s too late! Though we cannot die here, there is no reason to suffer unduly.

And if you are otherwise healthy, perhaps think of it as helping me out. In the event of an outbreak, it is far more helpful to have complete clinical pictures of the inhabitants. Especially, as I understand it, there are many biological differences in this population.

Please come visit me during my clinic hours, every day from 10am to 6pm.

[What Daniil really wants is to meet more of the unusual inhabitants of Etraya more quickly as well as conduct casual interviews of the sort of people who are slated to save the universe. But he can’t just say that completely outright.]

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[ It takes a little time for him to respond. ]

I do not wish for what happened before to repeat itself.

[ Vincent does not know if Daniil can find a way to ensure that, but the thought has plagued Vincent since it occurred. Others have suggested a few solutions, but none that he believed would help. It would be best to lock him away, only that is not possible with the nature of this place. ]

[Daniil does not know if that’s a “yes, I’ll be there shortly” or a “no, I can’t let you see The Horrors”. He has encountered a lot of melodramatic refusals from people who were otherwise fine. Daniil rolls his eyes.]

I accept whatever responsibility this entails. I’ll be waiting, unless you are unable to travel for some reason.

[Sometimes, annoyingly, that was also the case.]

[ It's not entirely a commitment because Vincent is waffling over the idea. Finally, he remembers that he needs to start acting in order to absolve himself of his sins, including the harm he did to a woman while he was previously transformed. ]

I will report during your open hours.

[ When he is ready to do so. But he won't be coming alone. ]

I’ll be waiting.

[ Since appearing in Etraya, the hospital is one of the places Vincent has routinely avoided. Like so many other arrivals, he awoke here, and the moment he gained consciousness in a hospital bed with its all too clean environment and LED white lights, he jumped out of that bed and made a hasty exit without looking back.

He's back today to meet a doctor. Just the thought of the title brought back memories. The sound of a scalpel clanking onto a tray, stained in his blood. The scent of latex gloves and antiseptic. And the feeling of something buried inside of him, foreign and unwanted but now a permanent part of him.

A soft grunt at the back of his throat, and he looks over at the friend who has joined him. He's glad Aerith is here. It eases some of the stiffness in his shoulders. With a nod, Vincent reaches for the hospital door and pulls it open, escorted inside by the braver face of a flower girl. If Dr. Dankovsky's area is not easily spotted, one of the bots can escort them there. ]

[Aerith tries not to pry too much into Vincent's background. She knows it's complicated. She knows he's holding onto a lot. And she gets the feeling that on some level, there may be things they have in common that they simply haven't quite figured out yet.

This is a big step for him. Vincent keeps to himself. He's brooding, aloof, and seems resigned to his solitude, though she has attempted to draw him from that. But in Aerith's mind, even if he seeks to close himself off from the world, that doesn't ever stop her from being at his side, from burdening him with her companionship.

If one wants to call it that. Vincent never would.

As he takes the big step to even just opening the door, Aerith leaves a hand at the small of his back. He's doing so good! The first step is always the hardest one.

But she won't lie, there are even parts of her that are slightly unnerved. Maybe the last time she smelled medical air wasn't so different from scientific air. Hojo is a thought that lingers in the back of her mind. She doubts he'll ever be far from it.]

[Doctor Daniil Dankovsky’s very presence cuts through the sterile medical air. He’s a gentleman, a dandy in his time. He was warned of monsters, so he wears his leather coat trimmed in snakeskin. Warm cigar smoke clings to him. He smells of bergamot in his aftershave.]

Two patients at once? Uh oh, an accident or an altercation?

[He has a light, tired voice. It’s a larger exam room to cope with the ambiguity of what he was going to encounter.]

[ Although Vincent is standoffish in many instances, he has also begun to change. Perhaps imperceptibly to some, but it's evident enough to him that things are different here. Even more so than they were back home when Cloud, Aerith, and the others found him. During their brief time together, he continued to separate himself. Here, he's gotten a little closer. Enough to have regular cafe meetings with Aerith at the Louvre. Already, he's taken big steps without meaning to.

Once they meet Daniil, the scents that cling to the doctor cut through the sterile air of the hospital in a way that's a welcome relief. Not at all like the doctor that plagues both Vincent and his company. ]

One patient. One escort.

[ Vincent isn't volunteering Aerith for this. ]

[Daniil turns to Aerith with a funny sort of grin.]

Usually women bring big, scary men to their visits when they’re uneasy. I’ve never seen it the other way around unless he needed to be convinced to come at all. Very well. What is your relation to the patient?

[For all that Daniil calls Concent big and scary, he hardly sounds serious. Daniil is a tall, slip of a man, significantly broadened by the cut of his coat.]

[Daniil opens his case book to where he had begun to take notes, but was forced to stop just because Vincent was so cagey!]

Well, feel free to take your seats. What is your name and age, sir?

[Aerith looks between Vincent and Daniil, tilting her head, and a little amused for much the same reason. As tempted as she is to leave a reassuring hand on Vincent, for the sake of his own comfort, she slips her hands behind her back, a gentle sway between her feet. She can touch him anytime he feels like he might need her to.]

Rest assured, I might look small, but I can definitely be scary!

[Which is true. Aerith is unsuspecting at a first impression, and even after a second or a third, she seems about as much a flower as the ones she likes so much. As multifaceted as everyone else is, she's no difference. She doesn't see any reason why she might need to get scary here, however.

Either way, she doesn't need much encouragement to sit, pressing her weight into her hands and leaning forward a bit as she eyes Vincent patiently.

It'll be okay.]

[ Vincent smiles briefly under his cowl and there's a soft blink of his eyes in Aerith's direction. ]

She is a friend. And I would not cross her.

[ With Aerith here, perhaps Vincent will be less cagey than he was during their texted conversation. There's no getting out of this now. What happened last year with the xenomorph has prompted him to seek answers, if they exist. He owes it to the people he put in danger here. A danger that could happen again if circumstances repeat themselves.

A nod follows the look from Aerith, and Vincent takes a seat beside her. ]

Vincent Valentine. Age 57.

Edited 2026-05-09 15:02 (UTC)

[Daniil takes it down, brows raised.] Is that your real name? Or your true age, for that matter. You look… dozens of years younger.

[Daniil was keenly aware that he looked more aged at 28 than this porcelain faced man. Old man, at that. ]

[ There's a slight lift of his brow over his eye. ]

Would I subject myself to this only to lie?

[ That would not make a lot of sense. ]

I ceased aging after a series of experiments were performed on me.

Apologies. I didn’t mean to imply lying, so much as a stage name, perhaps. It’s very colorful.

[Daniil gives him a look of pity, empathy maybe as he makes note.]

Do you know why experiments were conducted on you? Was there something unusual?

[Danill frowns, the amnesis morbi would need an attached page, for sure.]

A stage name.

[ Vincent tilts his head slightly, eyes sliding in Aerith's direction. He can only imagine what she thinks of that idea. ]

The experiments were the product of a madman. He harbored animosity toward me for objecting to his work.

[ Hojo never was the type to let anything go to waste. There is a lot Vincent leaves out, of course, but he answers with what he believes should suffice. ]

Of course. Rogue experiments make sense, in lieu of firing… [His voice falls into a sardonic mutter.]

Sorry, that’s not very funny. As much as I want to ask why, it sounds like there isn’t a satisfying answer to that. What was the goal and consequence of these experiments, then?

You said something about monsters.

[ It might not have been the best joke, but it's not wrong, in Vincent's case. ]

I don't know all the details. I believe the Professor was attempting to expand human endurance by infusing his subjects with monster DNA. The result is my capacity to transform into several monsters from my world.

That’s horrible. [Daniil couldn’t imagine Platon or Serafima doing this to him, so he briefly imagines someone from one of the other labs doing this to him.]

I imagine there are drawbacks. How has this impacted your health?

You said subjects, in plural? Do you know of the others?

[Aerith has been politely quiet during this exchange, mostly keen on not intruding where she doesn't need to. But it's been informative. Maybe more than Aerith has been inclined to pry from Vincent. Or maybe it's a plethora of knowledge that she knows more about than she rightfully should.

She cocks an eyebrow at Vincent for a moment before she eyes Daniil.]

I think Hojo has been conducting his experiments for a long time. Definitely for the last eight years. And longer than that, I'm sure.

[She nods to Vincent. Especially if he really is as old as he says he is. It's an answer without being an upfront answer. They definitely know of others.]

Edited (Oops. Forgot to add more.) 2026-05-10 23:12 (UTC)

In my time, we called it nuclein. I’ve only beheld the double helix recently. [He cannot suppress the sense of wonder when he says this. Truly, this recent Wikipedia and modern medical textbook fueled education has been magnificent and enlightening.]

Did he write papers or conduct this in secret? Did he have a any sort of patron?

[Becuase if he wrote papers, I can gain much more insight. This seems to have traumatized the man. I wonder how useful his insight will be-]

[That’s right, he was a colleague.]

Do you have a degree title, Mr. Valentine? [Daniil cares very much about titles.]

[ His past is not something Vincent likes to speak about, but in an attempt to ensure he doesn't hurt anyone again, informing Daniil may be useful in the future.

Perhaps it is because of his reluctance to speak openly about his past that he invited Aerith, so she might learn some of the truths about him without Vincent drumming up the will to talk about it. That and Vincent’s understandable distrust of doctors. He already suspected they have something in common, which is confirmed when Aerith says the name Vincent has avoided speaking. ]

There have been many subjects and many deaths over the years due to these experiments.

[ Like Aerith, Vincent keeps any names to himself. ]

I almost died of it, as well, but a final infusion from another doctor is responsible for my life and longevity.

[ As for records, Vincent shakes his head. ]

Hojo's patron is the Shinra corporation, who I also worked for. He kept notes and personal records. They did not want their atrocities made public, so it was all kept secret. I only have a basic understanding of what was done to me. I am no doctor. My role at that time was security.

Oh- [As his picture of this situation shifts.]

[Just a security guard. What was he doing in the lab?]

So, you were poking around a lab under some held suspicions? Did you find some damning evidence? [Daniil raises a brow.]

…I presume the other subjects weren’t also body guards?

Forgive me, I’m trying to understand. Clearly some wrong was committed by this Hojo. Do you know where the other subjects came from? Was he just trying to make monsters? “Push human limits” is rather vague. What was the purpose?

[He looks between them. The purpose here was very important!] I want to make sure I’m not overlooking something crucial as I form this medical history. Please think, it could really help you.

[Aerith wears... a subdued frown. She doesn't like this line of inquiry, but she also tends to avoid discussing Shinra, even with Rufus. It feels like this subject she tiptoes around. On the other hand, she does that with a lot of subjects.]

I think he was... probably obsessed with what he felt were advancements in empowered individuals. He was experimenting with the idea of cross-breeding people with monsters.

[She eyes Vincent sympathetically. He isn't a monster and she doesn't mean it like that when she says it.]

So a scientist who never felt like he had it good enough. he must've had good funding from Shinra to continue doing it.

[ The line of questioning gets a narrow look from Vincent. ]

Is the reason for my objection to the experiments a problem, doctor?

[ Vincent sees no need to inform Daniil of who the others were. He's not going to speak of the one who finally prompted him to confront Hojo, either.

Aerith answers better than Vincent might in his current state, which is a bit prickly now. Although his cape hides it well, he's become tense at this line of questioning. ]

Shinra will always invest in its military might. Creating stronger soldiers that obey them is reason enough. As for Hojo, he took a perverse delight in using people to advance his knowledge.

[The mention of a military turns his expression to disgust.]

No, no. These experiments sound disgusting. Avoiding harm and obtaining consent are paramount to any scientific rigors. …I just. [If there are two things I hate, it’s whistleblowers and- ] Creating stronger soldiers? Is that what this is about?

[Now Danill looks truly scandalized!]

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