Swamped

"Not metal, huh? Well, it's not like any sort of leather I've ever seen," he says. "So what is it?"

"The inner layer's leather, actually, with a good deal of padding. But there's an outer layer of, um, I forget what it's called." You do remember some of this stuff, but you probably don't want to give too many details away. "They make it from some kind of special tree sap, I think. It's still flexible when it hardens up, but it's also waterproof." You realize that you're still going to invite questions about why you've got it. "Needed it for a costume. For a play, that is."

"If it's that padded, it seems like it would be suitable for real combat armor. Why on earth would you want that for a play?"

"Oh, well, mostly we wanted it for the waterproofing. For, ah, outdoors performances. Guess it turned I figured I'd try it out in tonight's show just for the look, though. See, it's purple, which is symbolic of shame..."

You can see the nurse starting to roll his eyes. Good, he's not a theater type. You really wouldn't want to carry that act on for much further.

"Well, if it's waterproof, can't you just wash it off in the shower?" he asks, probably just to quiet you down.

He's got a point there.

"Well, I wasn't sure how badly you needed the water," you explain. "If that's not a problem, then yeah, I can do it that way. Sorry for the trouble."

"No, it's not that big of a deal. I've got other things to take care of in here anyhow." He sighs deeply. "This is a much busier night than usual. Thankfully, we should be able to send most of the patients home in the morning, so as long as we don't have another big fight breaking out, tomorrow night should be calmer." Then he pauses. "Actually... maybe when you've finished washing that armor of yours, you can help me with something else."