Darius Bronen Healing House
"Zelda Zanzibar? Her condition is stable. You can see her if you like." The healer leads Dominic and Luna down the corridor to the appropriate room.
"Thank you," replies Dominic. "Is there anything we should be careful about?"
The healer smiles. "Besides her flair for the dramatic? No, she's fine."
"Flair for the--?" Luna trails off as she views the tableau inside the room. "Oh good lord."
The woman on the bed looks up. "Dominic... my old friend... is that you?" She reaches toward Dominic with a trembling hand, her breaths faint and ragged. "Please... I don't have... much time... beware... the huntress... do not a-avenge me, old friend... s-save your... self... save youuuuhhh..." Her eyes flutter closed and she sags against her pillow.
Dominic is unimpressed. "I can see you breathing, Zelda."
"Then quit staring at my chest." Zelda sits back up with a smile. "Thanks for coming to visit me, DeeDee."
"I just wish the circumstances were better, ZeeZee," replies Dominic. "You look great, all things considered. What happened?"
"A woman knocked on my door and stabbed me in broad daylight. I was looking right at her... but dammit, I can't remember what she looks like."
"You haven't tried scrying her?"
"I can't," says Zelda. "Not her or anyone else. My second sight is gone. It's like she cut it out of me... and with it, a piece of my heart."
Dominic quirks an eyebrow. "Alright, ZeeZee, let's give it a rest so we can--"
"Oh!" Zelda gasps, clutching at her chest theatrically. "The huntress hath cut my heart indeed! The wound, it bleeds! Alas, alas, I expire... slain... dead of a b-broken... heart..."
Dominic rolls his eyes. "Zelda, you were stabbed in the stomach."
"She used a very long knife. Now shut up and respect the dead."
"Is she going to do that every five minutes?" says Luna, looking even more annoyed than Dominic. "If Szark was straight he'd get a real kick out of her."
"Aww, Luna, be nice," says Dominic with a smile. "Zelda's always dealt with stress by overacting."
"Over-acting?" Zelda retorts indignantly. "I was voted 'Best Death Scene' in our acting class!"
"I'm sure that's..." Luna blinks. "Wait. Did you say 'our acting class'?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Dominic was quite the actor in school."
"Look, this isn't really important. We should be trying to figure out--"
"He was good, too!" Zelda continues. "He loved the classics and the melodramas. You should've seen him when we did The Semashi Soldier. He played 'Zachary the Wicked' like a natural." She reaches out to playfully ruffle Dominic's hair. "The sons of Donovan Deegan all have some bard in them. Little Gregory is a musician, moody Jacob is a writer, and smug Dominic can act and--"
"Enough!" In a sudden flash of movement, Dominic grabs one of the bed pillows and slams it down against Zelda's face. "You shall not reveal my secrets, foul witch!"
Luna blanches. "Dominic! My God! What are you doing?!"
"The death scene from The Semashi Soldier. It's ZeeZee's favorite."
Zelda pauses in her feigned struggles for air to give Luna a thumbs-up. "Told you he was good."
"That woman is a loon," grumbles Luna as she and Dominic leave the hospital. "She put us through twenty of her death scenes, and you helped!"
"It actually worked out well," replies Dominic. "I was able to get a read on what happened to her second sight while I had my hands around her neck. I just need to go over my notes back home."
"I wish you would've let me put my hands around her neck."
Dominic smirks. "I'll brew some tea once we get back to Barthis. We can relax and we won't have to think about death anymore..."
"Thank you," replies Dominic. "Is there anything we should be careful about?"
The healer smiles. "Besides her flair for the dramatic? No, she's fine."
"Flair for the--?" Luna trails off as she views the tableau inside the room. "Oh good lord."
The woman on the bed looks up. "Dominic... my old friend... is that you?" She reaches toward Dominic with a trembling hand, her breaths faint and ragged. "Please... I don't have... much time... beware... the huntress... do not a-avenge me, old friend... s-save your... self... save youuuuhhh..." Her eyes flutter closed and she sags against her pillow.
Dominic is unimpressed. "I can see you breathing, Zelda."
"Then quit staring at my chest." Zelda sits back up with a smile. "Thanks for coming to visit me, DeeDee."
"I just wish the circumstances were better, ZeeZee," replies Dominic. "You look great, all things considered. What happened?"
"A woman knocked on my door and stabbed me in broad daylight. I was looking right at her... but dammit, I can't remember what she looks like."
"You haven't tried scrying her?"
"I can't," says Zelda. "Not her or anyone else. My second sight is gone. It's like she cut it out of me... and with it, a piece of my heart."
Dominic quirks an eyebrow. "Alright, ZeeZee, let's give it a rest so we can--"
"Oh!" Zelda gasps, clutching at her chest theatrically. "The huntress hath cut my heart indeed! The wound, it bleeds! Alas, alas, I expire... slain... dead of a b-broken... heart..."
Dominic rolls his eyes. "Zelda, you were stabbed in the stomach."
"She used a very long knife. Now shut up and respect the dead."
"Is she going to do that every five minutes?" says Luna, looking even more annoyed than Dominic. "If Szark was straight he'd get a real kick out of her."
"Aww, Luna, be nice," says Dominic with a smile. "Zelda's always dealt with stress by overacting."
"Over-acting?" Zelda retorts indignantly. "I was voted 'Best Death Scene' in our acting class!"
"I'm sure that's..." Luna blinks. "Wait. Did you say 'our acting class'?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Dominic was quite the actor in school."
"Look, this isn't really important. We should be trying to figure out--"
"He was good, too!" Zelda continues. "He loved the classics and the melodramas. You should've seen him when we did The Semashi Soldier. He played 'Zachary the Wicked' like a natural." She reaches out to playfully ruffle Dominic's hair. "The sons of Donovan Deegan all have some bard in them. Little Gregory is a musician, moody Jacob is a writer, and smug Dominic can act and--"
"Enough!" In a sudden flash of movement, Dominic grabs one of the bed pillows and slams it down against Zelda's face. "You shall not reveal my secrets, foul witch!"
Luna blanches. "Dominic! My God! What are you doing?!"
"The death scene from The Semashi Soldier. It's ZeeZee's favorite."
Zelda pauses in her feigned struggles for air to give Luna a thumbs-up. "Told you he was good."
"That woman is a loon," grumbles Luna as she and Dominic leave the hospital. "She put us through twenty of her death scenes, and you helped!"
"It actually worked out well," replies Dominic. "I was able to get a read on what happened to her second sight while I had my hands around her neck. I just need to go over my notes back home."
"I wish you would've let me put my hands around her neck."
Dominic smirks. "I'll brew some tea once we get back to Barthis. We can relax and we won't have to think about death anymore..."