Tales of a Synsuous Nature #14 - A Rude Awakening

 

She's not sure what she is looking for, but she is familiar with all of the shops in Divinity's Reach, so she decides to go to Lion's Arch. She goes from shop to shop, taking the occassional break, and finally,  near the end of the day, sees something that catches her interest! On one table of a small shop, there are a variety of cameos. Above the table is a sign stating that the owner does custom work. She shows the owner a picture of Shirie and herself and is told that she could have a custom cameo available the morning after next. She leaves a deposit and heads off to explore Lion's Arch.

 

After a few hours of exploring and a nice dinner, Dulcia finds a place to stay for the night. She spends the  day exploring the museums and art galleries and the evening listening to music in a tavern. The next morning, she goes back to the shop to get the cameo. It is beautiful! The cameo looks just like Shirie and her and the craftsmanship of the pendant is without flaw. She happily pays for it and heads out of the shop.

 

When Dulcia wakes up, she is disoriented. She is in a strange room and she has no recollection of how she got there. She also feels quite weak. She tries to get out of bed but just sitting up makes her feel dizzy. Just then, a strange woman walks into the room!

 

"Who are you and ...where am I!?!", Dulcia exclaims.

The strange woman replies, "I am Chelsea and you are in Our Lady of Mercy, a small convent outside of Lion's Arch".

 

"What? How? Why am I here? How long have I been here? Whe-", Dulcia bursts out in a frantic voice.

"Hold on, hold on!", interrupts Chelsea. "All will be explained in good order. First, I must tell the healer you are awake".

 

Chelsea leaves the room and a few minutes later, a different woman enters.

 

"Hello, I am Devonne, the healer. How are you feeling?", inquires the woman.

"Confused! Weak! And hungry!", replies Dulcia.

 

"Well, let us take care of all of that", Devinne responds.  "First, let me tell you why you are here. You were found outside of Lion's Arch by the side of the road. You were unconcsious and had sustained serious trauma to your head. A good samaritan brought you here and you were treated. However, despite the fact that your wound was healed, you did not regain consciousness. You have been here, in a coma, for 16 months. When they found you, you had nothing on you that could help identify you. We reached out to the local authorities, but no one ever came for you."

 

Dulcia looks stunned! "Coma! Sixteen months!?! Why...why didn't Shirie find me?", Dulcia cries.

"Shirie? Who is Shirie?", asks Devonne. "As for why no one ever came for you...well, Lion's Arch is a big city, the Seraph are overworked, and what with the attack and the subsequent re-building of Lion's Arch, it is possible that our report was simply overlooked".

 

Dulcia still looks stunned as the implications of what she has been told sink in. "Then Shirie doesn't even know what happened to me! She must think I am dead!". Dulcia bursts into tears at the thought.

 

Devonne consolingly strokes Dulcia's hair as she cries, letting her get it out of her system.

When Dulcia is finally done, Devonne steps back. "I am sure it will take you some time to absorb all of this, so let me send someone with a meal for you. You must be quite hungry by now".

 

Devonne leaves the room and after about 10 minutes, yet another strange woman enters the room. Without a word, she sets a tray down on the bedside table and leaves. Dulcia's meal consists of a bowl of chicken noodle soup with crackers, a bowl of fruit salad and water. She ravenously wolfs down the food. Too quickly it seems because afterwards she feels queasy.

 

After she has finished eating, Devonne returns to see her. "I need to examine you before you can be released. Do you feel up to that?", asks Devonne.

"I still feel weak and now I feel a little queasy", replies Dulcia.

"I am afraid you will feel weak for quite some time, but it will go away. I will give you a list of exercises that will help you regain your strength. As for the queasiness, that is to be expected; it has been quite a while since you had solid food.", answers Devonne. "Now, let's get started on the exam."

 

After a series of questions and a thorough physical exam, Devonne seems satisfied. "You are in good health and there is nothing more that we can do for you. You should stay here for a few days to regain your strength and allow us to monitor you."

 

Dulcia agrees and the next couple of days seem to drag on. She sends a letter to Shirie and does nothing else but read, eat and sleep. Finally,  when she thinks she is going to die of boredom, she is told that she is free to go. She gathers her few belongings and heads back to Divinity's Reach in search of her wife.