PossessedTeaCup

Henrik is with Team Instinct & his Parasect can help with medical operations as well as creating spores for medicine.

Damien is part of Team Mystic with his Mightyena, a loyal & loving guard dog as well as homage to Mark and Chica.

Henrik Von Schneeplestein

Henrik, a well practiced doctor for the era, has just moved to Florence, Italy for a fresh start after his hometown was essentially burnt down due to an outbreak of Plague. One of the only possessions he was able to take with him was a green scarf made and given to him by his late family as his home had already been boarded up & sealed for quarantine.

Having seen the effects on his family, friends, neighbors, and townsfolk, Henrik understands the consequences of killing off herds of cats and comes to adore them. Welcoming them to his home with water and food left out for them. Since, with cats free to wander around, there are much less rats. They're disgusting rodents Schneeplestein can't stand and has developed a fear for due to their connection with Plague.

While he's actually pretty good at his job there are still parts and systems to the human body he doesn't fully understand. Whenever an opportunity arises Henrik will work to acquire bodies to study. With Plague becoming so rampant he's given the chance, with many patients already given a death sentence, to test out theories of treatment on them (only after getting consent). Though they know it's a slim chance. They're likely dead anyway but hold on to hope that Florence's strange new doctor might still find a cure yet. As he is rumored to use foreign techniques that otherwise may be considered malpractice.

However, no one really knows if the patients he's lost were truly accidental or a result of a new but too brutal treatment method or practice. Some question about the blood stains he's commonly covered in but the rate of successful cases, to the public's eye, out weigh any possible wrong doing. For in the end, more lives are saved because of his willingness to step out of the bounds of the law. Leading many to choose to ignore the signs of Schneeplestein's means to that end.

Damien Azzarà da Firenze

Damien is a political leader in the city of Florence. He works hard to prevent corruption in the seats of power and make laws & daily life as easy as possible for the middle & lower classes. Truly one of the very few politicians who genuinely care about the people.

Due to being a high profile person, whenever Damien leaves the estate to venture into the city by himself, he'll sometimes wear clothing with a hood to protect himself from any prying eyes of the greedy. His life has been sought after several times by dirty banking families looking to increase their power in the city's politics. Whether by gathering dirt on those in power for sabotage and bribes or getting their hands bloody, directly or indirectly. Despite all the violence against him, Damien remains a pacifist. Preferring to deal with or defeat his enemies without raising a hand in physical harm.

He has lived in the city his whole life. Though he has traveled the country he never once has been able to see outside of Italy. Damien grew up well educated with Italian as his native tongue and was also taught French and German by the insistence of his late parents. He wasn't sheltered growing up for he has a vast understanding of the world but being kept indoors, to study and learn the ways of his family to follow in his father's footsteps made his immune system lacking. Causing him to be frequently ill with colds and the like. However they never managed to interfere too much with his work.

At social events the crowd of self proclaimed 'elites' flock to Damien for his wealth and power. Shoving their daughters in his face for hopes of a nibble; a taste of the man's power and influence. Despite innocent nudges from political advisors saying how much more family oriented he could be perceived as, Damien always politely declined. Inside he quietly loathes the attention of the snakes of the upper class at the gatherings. But with no one to take with him as a companion he's free game to converse with each and every time.

How They Meet

Very late one night at his home, Schneeplestein is requested by a man in a cloak to follow for a certain person in need. He's lead to Damien who was barely managing to sleep and was drenched in sweat. Henrik agreed to the secrecy and takes on the nameless man, surrounded by finely dressed people, as a patient. The group of nobles pay to have Henrik visit on a relatively frequent basis; mostly under the cover of night but not necessarily every time. Henrik cares for him while sick, Damien's advisors terrified it's Plague but turns out to be a common though thankfully less deadly sickness.

After Damien recovers they keep in touch. Eventually he becomes a type of benefactor for Henrik's research. Providing better tools when needed and offering a place to work that is much more private from the eyes of the law.

Throughout the months of knowing each other they become great friends. Damien notices Henrik never talks about anyone romantically or his life before coming to Florence but also makes it a point not to ask.

Schneeplestein gets fetched by one of Damien's advisors directly at his medicinal shop. With the advisor's urgency Henrik follows at a run. He's lead through the halls to Damien's office to find him half collapsed on the floor, his body leaning against the wood. Sounds and light cause pain in the right side of his skull so Henrik shuts all blinds and locks the door to darken and quiet the room after moving Damien to the couch. He prepares herbal tea, massages the temples, and anything else he can think of.

Damien falls asleep despite the pain from the migraine and wakes in the middle of the night to a blanket on him and Henrik asleep against the couch. He gets up and, unable to resist, carefully removes Schneeplestein's mask to see his face for the first time. His heart skips.

A little over a year after they've met Damien enters Henrik's anatomical study while he's working on a recent cadaver. He uncharacteristically stutters and stumbles on his words until Henrik stops and meets his gaze. Damien confesses. There's a heavy silence. Henrik sighs and while doesn't reject, he confirms he's been feeling the same way but can't accept. He explains that since he's always around the sick and the dead it's not safe for anyone's health to be too close to him. Hence why he's always wearing his doctor's mask. To protect himself and others for he can't possibly know everyone's health. They agree to remain how they are despite their feelings for each other being open in the air.

It takes a real infection of the Black Death with Damien for Henrik to realize how foolish he's been. He works day and night in hopes of curing the politician. Taking on Damien's care personally and reacting to every cough and sniffle. Going so far as to, with Damien's approval, remove the pinky & ring fingers on the right hand and the middle on the left after they become black with gangrene. Upon further body inspection during a bath they see the little toe on Damien's left foot has also blackened.

After a week Henrik loses hope but can't bring himself to stop trying. He wouldn't be surprised if he woke on the side of Damien's bed, where he typically passes out recently, the next morning to find him dead...

Yet Damien is the one to nudge him awake. With a smile on his face and color slowly coming back into his skin. Henrik lets Damien slowly remove the mask and they share a few gentle caresses as Damien doesn't want to give Henrik the Plague since it's probably still in his system. Schneeplestein throws caution to the wind and, taking Damien's head in his hands carefully, passionately connects their lips.

Over the next several days Damien's strength returns. Henrik buys him a cane when they find Damien can't balance when standing or walking.

So far, it's only going to be Schneep & Damien in this. I don't know if I'll ever add any of the others but we'll see.