Maya Sherazi

Dr. Maya Sherazi

Basic Information
Aliases	"Doc", "Doctor", "Captain" (Wayfarers), The Lifeweaver, the Ghost Doctor, Mercy's Wraith, Death's Nemesis
Species	Felari
Pronouns	She/Her
Physical Information
Age	71 (47 in human years)
Height	5'8"
Birthday	December 22nd
Date of Death	N/A
Unique Features	Brown fur, various scars, sage green eyes, leg braces, cybernetic lungs and spine
Biographical Information
Homeworld	Virilune
Group Affiliation	Wayfarer's Guild (former), None (current)
Status	Alive
Magic/Abilities	Broad medical knowledge, talented in Felari arcane arts and rituals
Relationships
Kin	Dr. Nira Sherazi (deceased), Unknown Father
Marital	Single
Out-of-Character Information
Minecraft Username	Convixen6
Discord Username	razzygoat

"My responsibility is keeping you alive, and I intend to carry out that mission, whether you like my methods or not." — Dr. Maya Sherazi

Dr. Maya Sherazi is a famed and respected Felari doctor and medical professional, and former captain and founder of the Wayfarer's Guild. After the Guild's destruction, she has made limited public appearances, but has been sighted on many planets providing medical assistance to those in need.

Due to being the former captain of the crew who made first contact with Locus Astra, the High Stellar Council saw fit that she partakes in the Pathfinding Initiative directly.

Appearance

"Yes, I know I look tired. What do you need?"

Dr. Sherazi stands at 5’8” tall, with dark skin and dark brown hair. She has sage green eyes, and bears brown leopard ears and a tail in her humanoid form. Brown fur and leopard spots are present around her face, arms, legs, and back.

Dr. Sherazi has obtained a number of cybernetic replacements over the years. Her spine has been replaced in its entirety, the metal visible externally. Her lungs have also been replaced with cybernetics, and her liver has been genetically enhanced. She wears leg braces often, even more frequently in recent years as her disability worsens and she now requires them to put any weight on her legs.

She often wears a white doctor’s lab coat over black pants, black boots, and a dark gray sleeveless turtleneck. She also primarily wears black gloves to avoid accidentally scratching patients with her claws or getting substances on her hands.

Dr. Sherazi keeps to a strict exercise schedule and keeps tabs on her diet, meaning despite her vices, she's in surprisingly good shape and is fairly muscular. However, since she's always wearing her coat, few are aware of this and it always seems to surprise people.

Personality

"I'm not here to win hearts, I'm here to keep them beating."

Dr. Sherazi is extremely bitter, jaded, and often exhausted. As such, she can be a difficult person to get along with, oftentimes harsh in her words and sharp-tongued. However, she is not unreasonable, and expresses sincere empathy for individuals she classifies as 'victims of circumstance' rather than those who suffer the consequences of their own stupidity. Dr. Sherazi has a deep and unshakeable respect for life and autonomy. She will never, ever give up on a patient while they still breathe, fighting to save all who grace her operating table to the best of her ability regardless of who they are or what they have done.

She finds sympathy directed towards her to be adjacent to, if not equivalent to, pity, which she finds entirely patronizing.

Most romantic comments go over her head, as she usually remains too focused on her work to process them. In her mind, bodies are bodies, so she is very straightforward about physicality and would react to an unclothed form the same way she'd react to a clothed one... for Dr. Sherazi, work comes first, leading many to joke that she's already 'married to her job'.

Despite her prickly exterior, Dr. Sherazi is fundamentally a good and selfless person at heart. Those who haven't given her reasons to be upset with them know her to be kind and extremely reasonable.

Likes

"I like things that remind me of home."

• Plants and nature
• Reading
• Spicy and savory foods
  • She especially likes dishes of Felari origin, but they never taste just right elsewhere
  • Her favorite is fish, but giving her fish unprompted just because she's a Felari will raise eyebrows
  • She is a decent cook, but rarely has the time to do so
• Morally upright people
• A good drink
• Anime and Vocaloid, but she won't admit it
• Some goddamn peace and quiet

Dislikes

"Don't be obnoxious, and we'll get along just fine."

• Stupidity and recklessness
• Anything she feels is a waste of her time
• People who are too emotionally driven
• People pointing out the obvious
• Any comments about her species or comparing her to a regular cat
• Loud noises, loud people, loud machines, loud...
• Large crowds

Education

"If you needed a piece of paper to tell you I know what I'm doing, then here you go."

Even after completing medical school, Dr. Sherazi continued to study and work towards several other degrees during her time operating as a Wayfarer. This section does not cover her arcane education, which she pursued both as a child on Virilune and throughout her time at Singulon Academy.

Below is a list of all of the degrees Dr. Sherazi has earned, along with the range of years spent working towards each one. Note that many of these academic accolades were worked on in tandem, and many of her credits and field work were done during the period where she was traveling and working as a Captain of the Wayfarer's Guild.

• Pre-Med BS
• Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• PhD in Biology with a focus on comparative biological study
• PhD in Biochemistry
• PhD in Ethnobotany
• PhD in Comparative Medicine

Dr. Sherazi stopped her official academic pursuits after this, but has briefly dabbled in reading through texts on zoology and other fields of chemistry and biology.

Health Problems

"I can take care of myself just fine. I don't need your pity."

When Dr. Sherazi was very young, she was diagnosed with Congenital Sensory Integration Disorder (CSID). This condition, while uncommon, is not unheard of, especially in Felari children who appear to have keener senses than their peers. This condition manifests in sensory overloads under high stress, mild to severe bouts of dissociation, difficulty filtering audio input, chronic insomnia, and a high risk of identity diffusion or psychosis later in life if left untreated. Her mother had her placed on a long-term synaptic regulation agent meant to limit excessive neuroplasticity and stabilize sensory processing. This medication is classified as lifelong maintenance, and abruptly stopping doses has been known to be dangerous. Dr. Sherazi has only gone without her medication once, for a period of about five days, and during those five days she experienced insomnia, headaches, phantom sensations, unbearably increased sensory sensitivity, and mild bouts of derealization. She has been strict about taking her medication regularly ever since.

Dr. Sherazi's smoking habit and her alcoholism also takes a toll on her health, which eventually leads to the replacement of her lungs with cybernetics. Maya tends to avoid smoking or drinking around her patients.

Dr. Sherazi's deteriorating legs is a condition that somewhat mystifies other medical professionals, including herself, but she generally believes it has to do with what the Verdant Veil has done to her. She wears braces over her legs to support and strengthen them, allowing her to walk, run, and jump like any other Felari.

Her chronic insomnia is never quite treated, even with medication, leading to bouts of exhaustion and a necessity to rest more than other individuals. As such, Dr. Sherazi, much to her own chagrin, has to sleep far more than her peers.

Strengths and Skills

"I'm sorry, which one of us spent decades in medical school? Which one of us has the field experience? That's what I thought! Now stop distracting me!"

Dr. Sherazi’s skills as the former Captain of the Wayfarer’s Guild continue to serve her today. She has an uncanny ability to work logically under extreme stress, something people seem to describe as simply “locking in”.

Dr. Sherazi is an extremely talented surgeon and field medic, willing and able to perform operations on the battlefield in order to save survivors. As such, she’s an extremely powerful supporting asset in most endeavors where individuals may be endangered or injured. She has incredibly steady hands, and will not hesitate to take charge of a situation should the need arise.

She has also devoted a good portion of her studies to studying biology, chemistry, and botany, making her fairly proficient in analyzing unfamiliar organisms– especially how they affect others biologically.

Dr. Sherazi has also studied the arcane extensively, being very proficient in Felari ritual magic that is largely kept secret from non-Felari mages. The most important of them is the ability to conduct rituals to speak with the souls of the dead, under specific circumstances.

Weaknesses

"Don't deny a woman her vices."

Dr. Sherazi is extremely bitter and jaded and often comes off as entirely insensitive or just outright mean to others. Fairly anti-social and unwilling to let others get close to her, she is not necessarily a very palatable person to be around if she decides to dislike you.

Her own misery and guilt often drive her to self-destructive habits, including her smoking and drinking problems. While she typically only does so in private, on particularly bad days, she tends to overdo it.

Relationships

Guin

"Just like old times, right?"

Guin is someone Dr. Sherazi considered her best friend, having met her at Singulon Academy and grown close with her there. She deeply admires Guin's free spirit and her dedication to her studies, and were a rather strange pair at the academy. The top-of-class student and the girl who couldn't quite stay out of trouble. Still, whenever anyone suggested Dr. Sherazi get 'better friends', she would always just shake her head and smile, with a simple "Why would I need that?"

Guin's support was instrumental in inspiring Dr. Sherazi to actually pursue her dream in the form of the Wayfarer's Guild, and the pair continued to work together for many years during the Guild's years of operation. However, when the incident killed the crew and changed everything, Dr. Sherazi sank into despair. She greatly misses her friend.

Guinevere

"..."

Dr. Sherazi feels she cannot ██ ██████ █████████ ███████ █████ ████████ ██ ████ ███ ███ ██ ███. She always looks at her with a sense of grief and distress, and sometimes avoids being near her as a result. To her, Guinevere isn't a bad person, she just... can't look at her without being upset.

Sonya Steele

"If I knew what kind of person she'd become, I'd have never let her anywhere near-- nevermind."

Dr. Sherazi used to have a close friendship with Sonya. The two were quick to bond over being captains of their respective crews, and the Steele Sharks and Wayfarer's Guild worked together several times. Dr. Sherazi can respect a woman with ambition who knows what she wants to do with her life and won't let anyone tell her otherwise. She oftentimes wishes she had the strength to be so rebellious when she was young in the clutches of the Verdant Veil. She was also very supportive when Sonya and Guin got closer.

However, after the incident, Dr. Sherazi's opinion of Sonya has since soured. Even if Sonya still thinks fondly of Dr. Sherazi and wants to restore their former closeness, Dr. Sherazi is unwilling to hold a full conversation with her unless she absolutely has to. She believes the woman she used to regard as a friend is dead, and holds a deep, unresolved bitterness towards her. However, despite this animosity, Dr. Sherazi refuses to tell anyone what exactly Sonya did, though it seems Sonya is fully aware of the truth.

Henry Solaris

"You know, Henry, we really have to stop meeting like this."

Dr. Sherazi just keeps running into Henry, and she will help him out of a bind every time. Despite his family background, Dr. Sherazi doesn't hold the actions of his family against him. Ever since she first saved his life on one of Virilune's moons, she has seen him grow into someone kinder and more determined, which was part of the reason she eventually vouched for him joining the Wayfarer's Guild. She was happy to re-connect with him eventually in the months leading up to the Pathfinding Initiative, even if she was hesitant at first, still ashamed and guilty when she reflects on the years she spent isolating herself from others. Still, she believes Henry to be good-hearted and smart, and wants to look out for him a bit while on Locus Astra.

Arden Steele

"Democracy is a wonderful thing in Arden City."

Dr. Sherazi only could speak with Arden over calls due to Aren's fragile constitution, but always found him endearing. She did her best to pursue ways to help him medically, though his condition is extremely complex and unprecedented. Still, while others find him strange and off-putting, she simply thinks he's a bit odd, but polite and kind. She does miss Arden and was glad to re-connect with him in the months leading up to the Pathfinding Initiative. She has it in her head to try and look out for him while on Locus Astra.

Mercutio Hgarbera

"He knows what he's doing. I won't comment on the methods."

Dr. Sherazi met Mercutio briefly many years ago, when the Wayfarer's Guild made a stop on Singulon. Although they had sought to provide aid to the Ferrans in poverty, the local government made a point of hiding such poverty from them to put on a more polished facade. Mercutio, however, was able to speak with Dr. Sherazi and lead her to where the sick, injured, and hungry were. This repeated from settlement to settlement. When the work was done, Mercutio simply nodded and vanished into the night, as quickly as he'd arrived. Dr. Sherazi holds a level of respect for his resourcefulness and his sense of justice, even if she put two and two together and realized the reason that corrupt Ferran politicians were conveniently turning up dead after he departs...

Caine

"Caine was a good kid. I wonder how they're doing now?"

Dr. Sherazi met Caine when they were young, no older than fifteen. She saw a bit of herself in the young Sonyx, as they too held themselves like a child forced to grow up too fast. She was able to treat them, preventing them from losing sight in their bad eye. With Stratos still struggling to recover after a wave of anti-intellectualism set back their access to medical care, Caine was incredibly grateful and gave her a custom pin, which she still wears under her coat to this day. Caine also helped smuggle Dr. Sherazi into and out of cities on Stratos so she could help those inside, as the local governments were outright hostile towards a foreign doctor. Dr. Sherazi is still banned from several cities on Stratos, but she remembers Caine fondly and found them very capable for their age.

Juniper

"Juniper is going to be an incredible doctor."

Dr. Sherazi did not seek out friends, and certainly did not want an apprentice, with the deaths of her crew still weighing on her. Juniper disagreed. After seeing Dr. Sherazi in action, she immediately set her sights on becoming her apprentice to learn from her. Dr. Sherazi insisted that getting involved with her only brings pain down the road, and it would be better for Juniper to continue her studies on Velora on her own, but Juniper insisted. Something about her bright personality and her strong will reminded her of Kailani, and eventually, Dr. Sherazi stopped pushing her away. The two have been traveling together for eight months as of the start of the campaign.

History

Early Life

"Oh, Maya, I hope you always remember there is love in all corners of the galaxy." -- Dr. Nira Sherazi

Maya Sherazi was raised among fellow Felari in the city of Niranta Udyana, deep in the Mahavana on Virilune. She was raised by her mother, Nira Sherazi. Nira was a deeply respected member of Felari society, being a very adept healer credited with several medical breakthroughs and a high success rate for surgeries and general treatments. Growing up, Maya gained a deep understanding of the balance between life and death, and understood that the forest not only held dangers, but resources. The Mahavana provides, and destroys in equal part.

Maya never knew her father, and rumors circulated about who exactly he was. Nira never clarified, stating it did not matter who he was, as he would not be in her child’s life. Due to the sadness with which she’d state this fact, the consensus was that Maya’s father had been killed on one of the numerous expeditions into the deeper, uncharted Mahavana.

While she was young, Maya was diagnosed with Congenital Sensory Integration Disorder (CSID). This condition, while uncommon, is not unheard of, especially in Felari children who appear to have keener senses than their peers. This condition manifests in sensory overloads under high stress, mild to severe bouts of dissociation, difficulty filtering audio input, chronic insomnia, and a high risk of identity diffusion or psychosis later in life if left untreated. Her mother had her placed on a long-term synaptic regulation agent meant to limit excessive neuroplasticity and stabilize sensory processing. This medication is classified as lifelong maintenance, and abruptly stopping doses has been known to be dangerous. This also means that hallucinogens, simulated realities, and other magic, technology, or substance that significantly alters Maya’s perception of the world would take a serious health toll on her if she ever used them.

Regardless, Nira did not just pass down a passion for healing physical wounds to her daughter. Nira taught a young Maya the gift of speaking with the souls of those who had passed on, starting with interpreting intention and emotion from the souls of deceased animals and pets to form the foundation for the full rituals that she would take on in adulthood. Such a gift was uncommon in the universe, but was known to come more easily to the Felari, who were more inclined to dabble in such arts.

Maya was bright-eyed, agile, and a quick learner. She swiftly took to her mother's studies, learning from her at a very young age as she completed preliminary schooling.

However, Maya's life was irreversibly altered when Nira passed on from illness. There were no tears at the funeral, as it was not a tragedy. Nira Sherazi was one with the forest once more, and all is as it should be. Just as there were no tears, there was no living parent to take on the task of caring for a young Maya. This does not mean Maya was out of options, however.

The Verdant Veil

"You are going to do wonderful things with us."

The Verdant Veil, an especially secretive and fanatical sect of Felari society, were quick to take Maya under their wing. Believing Maya to be special due to her affinity for magic relating to healing and communing with the dead, as well as her proximity to her mother’s legacy, they intended to nurture her and utilize her for their own purposes. The Verdant Veil sought further enlightenment, believing that through advancements in bioengineering and transformative magical rituals they could become closer to the forest and increase their chances of survival. They wished to embrace the Felari’s natural predator traits, to become more like the creatures that stalk and prowl the canopy, and to eventually outcompete others on Virilune, including the Canari.

Although their experiments had never worked with a great degree of success before, this time was different. For reasons even she never came to fully understand, Maya Sherazi became the first success in the Verdant Veil’s path to enlightenment. Their practices were equal parts scientific and ritualistic. The exact procedures are largely lost to Maya’s memory, but she recalls blades, syringes, and pain.

When the procedures were complete, Maya gained the ability to █████████ ████ █ ████ ███████ █████. Her █████ ████ ███████ ████ ██ █ █████ ████████ ██████ ███ █ ██████████ █████ ██████ ████ █ ████████ ███. It took many years for Maya to master her abilities. Years of medication, exhaustion, and training. Still, the Verdant Veil had their enlightened one, and they saw her as semi-divine, some even saying that her true father was unknown because he was the spirit of the Mahavana itself. They treated the late Nira Sherazi as the mother of a divine child, almost akin to a ‘Virgin Mary’. Maya never saw the divinity in it all; to her, there was nothing holy about her suffering. As time went on, an unfortunate side effect reared its head: the degradation of her legs, requiring braces to allow her to run and jump like other Felari.

Maya’s initial resentment for what had been done to her, compounded with general dissatisfaction at how her mother had been made a martyr after her death, came to a head when the Verdant Veil’s actions were exposed. Upon the authorities learning that they had been behind various kidnappings and forceful experimentation, defiling the gifts of the forest, they were promptly declared an anathema sect and the members were prosecuted. As a result, the majority, if not all, were exiled into the Pandura, the deep pale forest, where they were subsequently left to die. Others were put to death by the state on the spot. The Verdant Veil’s influence diminished as they were disgraced, allowing for Maya to be freed from her control. Authorities reported finding her sitting in front of an indecipherable wooden altar, her body draped in black silks.

SPARK University

"I'll make you proud, mom." -- Maya

Maya eventually grew into her own, pursuing healing like her mother and finishing her education at the Samtulana Institute. However, although she was freed from the Verdant Veil, her dissatisfaction with Felari views on life and death persisted. Maya came to firmly believe in saving any and all lives she could, and to pursue this she knew she had to go elsewhere.

This led her to SPARK (Stellar Poly-species Academy for Research and Knowledge) University, where she pursued her academic career with a fervor and aggression that was difficult to match. She devoured knowledge and threw herself into her research, seeking to reach and surpass her mother’s level of study.

Although she would not remain at SPARK forever, she would continue her studies remotely, earning a long list of academic accolades and degrees.

Singulon Academy

"Wait, hold still! Let me get a photo!" -- Guin

Maya was always a person of balance, and as such she knew her academic career could not start and end at science. Seeking to pursue her gifts in magic, she attended an academy on Singulon. It was here that she met Guin—a Canari seeking fields of study that few would dare to delve into. The pair swiftly connected over academia.

However, Guin’s path of study was growing concerning. Maya and Guin often argued about the experiments Guin was conducting, but it never quite broke their friendship. Maya shared her ultimate dream with Guin: the Wayfarer's Guild. A team that could travel the universe helping those in need far better than local governments ever could. Guin was equally excited for this.

When Guin was eventually expelled for her dangerous work, Maya willingly left the Academy to go back to Virilune with her, surprising Guin by catching up to her at the spaceport with her own ticket home.

Where You Go, I Go

"You didn't really think I would let the headmaster split us up so easily, right?" -- Maya

Seeking to distract Guin from the dangerous path of research she was going down, Maya asked her to come with her to work on the Guild together. Guin told her to start without her, believing that dreams are what truly drives a person, but she had to stay on Virilune for her younger brother Lerinov. Maya agreed, but vowed to return for her later, the moment she calls.

Although Maya found her calling in being the Wayfarer’s Captain, and offered the position to Guin as co-Captain, Guin only accepted a role as a researcher and diplomat. Maya also got the sense that Guin’s heart was truly with her own research, no matter where it lands her.

Wayfarer's Guild

"I couldn't do this without all of you." -- Captain Sherazi

Maya began her journey as Captain Sherazi, finally bringing her dream to life. Although her crew started small, it grew more and more as she visited different locations across the galaxy. For a full timeline, look at the Wayfarer's Guild wiki page.

Vigilante Doctor

"No, I don't want your money. That's not why I do this." -- Dr. Sherazi

The years have not been kind to Dr. Sherazi since the incident. Her health degrades. Her smoking habit worsens, resulting in having her lungs cybernetically replaced, and she later had her liver bioengineered to withstand her increased alcohol intake. Her legs require more advanced braces, to the point where she can no longer stand for extended periods without them. Bitter, jaded, and haunted by a legacy she can no longer bear with pride, she traveled solo, healing whoever she could but never staying in one place for very long. Her reputation follows her, bringing her relative fame wherever she goes, but she no longer rallies behind the badge. She is called by many names-- The Lifeweaver, the Ghost Doctor, Mercy's Wraith... some were names she remembers from her Academy days, others new. She is a folk hero in some circles of the universe.

Along the way, her journey brought her to Stratos, where she was able to assess the extremely poor medical care being offered there in the wake of a religious revolution that spurred a wave of anti-intellectualism. She encountered a young Caine there, and was able to provide assistance in saving their vision in their bad eye. As thanks, Caine presented her with a custom badge, and helped her to get in and out of populated cities on Stratos that otherwise would have turned a strange doctor away. Later, after she departed Stratos, she would return at Caine’s request to operate on their knee and remove a tumor as well as addressing damage done by the Sonyx surgeon who botched the procedure the first time.

Pathfinder

"Are you insane?! You'll get people killed if you send that many!" -- Dr. Sherazi, to the HSC Grand Assembly

Drifting eventually brought her back to Virilune, where she lived with her aunt and uncle until news of the Pathfinding Initiative reached her. Called by the High Stellar Council, she arrived and fought to ensure that the Pathfinders knew how dangerous this mission could be. Despite her best efforts, the High Stellar Council largely downplayed the danger, instead highlighting the possible new opportunities that Locus Astra presented. Deeply dismayed by this, Dr. Sherazi agreed to join the Pathfinding Initiative, if only to try and keep the Pathfinders safe.

It was here that she reconnected with Arden and Henry, speaking with them numerous times prior to the mission. All were still hurting from nearly a decade of separation, but it didn’t take very long for them to be friendly again. Dr. Sherazi also met Juniper eight months prior to the expedition, as Juniper would be medical staff alongside her. Although Dr. Sherazi was hesitant to try and take an apprentice, Juniper was insistent, and ended up under Dr. Sherazi's wing.

Extras

All artwork aside from those in the "Fanart" section are credited to Convixen (Kareena).

Official References

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  Dr. Sherazi's official ref
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  Dr. Sherazi's official ref 2
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  Dr. Sherazi's cybernetic spine

Other Art

• 
  Dr. Sherazi's wiki headshot
• 
  Dr. Sherazi in her college era
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  Dr. Sherazi having a smoke
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  Airplane ears
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  Dr. Sherazi as Hatsune Miku
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  Cheer!
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  Remembering the past
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  Dr. Sherazi holding Hubble
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  Headshot from her Captain days
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  (Non-Canon) Rafflesia arc artwork
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  Getting squished by Arden
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  Getting squished by Guinevere
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  Getting squished by Henry
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  Getting squished by Sonya
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  Suit/formalwear
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  Tired
• 
  An old poster design
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  Emote 1: Coffee
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  Emote 2: Smoke
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  Emote 3: thumbs up
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  Scowl
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  Henry, Dr. Sherazi, and Arden napping

Fanart (Meridian)

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  A young Caine helping smuggle Dr. Sherazi through Caelune high society (Credit: Jay)

Fanart (Non/Semi-Canon, Pre-Meridian)

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  Poster graphic of Dr. Sherazi (Credit: Dani)
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  Dr. Sherazi discovering that Siel's skin breaks most needles (Credit: Skyplum)
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  Dr. Sherazi giving Siel a shot, part 2 (Credit: Skyplum)
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  Dr. Sherazi and Nova find a solution to the problem (Credit: Skyplum)
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  Siel gets the panini press (Credit: Skyplum)
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  Nova really hates doctor visits (Credit: Kay)
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  Dr. Sherazi gets a blood sample from Caine (Credit: Jay)
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  ...the blood results are weird (Credit: Jay)
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  Guinevere picks up Dr. Sherazi (Credit: tsunderite)