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09:45, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Posted by GM LWFor group archive 0
Pinja Esposito
Player, 73 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 01:47
  • msg #202

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"I'm never going to heal." Pinja said bitterly.
Millie
NPC, 156 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 02:00
  • msg #203

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"Not if you don't build up your strength."
Difyr Bateman
Player, 324 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 03:16
  • msg #204

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Difyr slipped down to the kitchen hoping Millie would have talked Pinja into eating something by the time she returned.
Millie
NPC, 157 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 03:31
  • msg #205

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"Just a few bites, Pinja," Millie pleaded.
Pinja Esposito
Player, 74 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 03:35
  • msg #206

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

In reply to Millie (msg # 203):
"This is beyond healing." Pinja shook her head. "It'd be wasted on me."
Millie
NPC, 158 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 03:51
  • msg #207

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"It is not a waste. Be a fighter. Regain your strength and heal." Millie frowned. Sileas may had hid but she had never simply given up and she had healed. Aunt Lia had healed. "There are so many things to live for. Don't give up."
Pinja Esposito
Player, 75 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 04:05
  • msg #208

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"It hurts too much and just the thought of eating make me feel like throwing up." Pinja said.
Millie
NPC, 159 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 04:30
  • msg #209

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"How about more broth then? Difyr may still have some over there, I can check."
Pinja Esposito
Player, 76 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 04:39
  • msg #210

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Pinja shook her head. She didn't want broth. She wanted wine. She wanted to drown in wine until she stopped hurting and forgot.
Millie
NPC, 160 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 04:41
  • msg #211

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Millie sighed and set the bowl to the side. She wished she knew how to help Pinja. There had to be a way, something....but she didn't know what.
Pinja Esposito
Player, 77 posts
Thu 18 Feb 2016
at 05:02
  • msg #212

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Pinja tried to find a way to rest that didn't hurt.
Difyr Bateman
Player, 334 posts
Fri 19 Feb 2016
at 06:28
  • msg #213

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Difyr brought Pinja a fresh bowl of hot broth. "I have something I can give you for pain now, but you shouldn't take it on an empty stomach. So I'll give it to you after you drink the broth."

Difyr looked at Millie, then sat in an out of the way corner and pulled out the letter from Portside. She unfolded it to small but tidy handwriting.


Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Dear Difyr,

First I want to express my shock and condolence for what has happened to your village! It sounded like such a peaceful place I had hoped to visit someday. If and when the village is rebuilt I will try harder to find time to pay it a visit, though as a healer you know my job does not allow me any free time for travel either.

After I read your letter I immediately tracked down the knight who bore it knowing that you needed much more than what you asked me for in your letter. Sure enough when I spoke to the knight (He was reluctant to even speak to me, I think he thought I was a prostitute! I always thought I looked like a midwife.) he admitted that there were some items on your list he could not find in the market. I looked at the list and basically drew the young man by his ear to the Dove and made him wait, blushing, in the lobby as I went through my supplies and completed your list and threw in a few extras. Do not even think of paying me, my supplies are plentiful and your survivors need them more than I do.

As for Ila, yes, the girl worked here. Her family's name is Kemeny, a prominent house, you may have heard of them. But she has been disowned and I do not think she wants anything to do with her family anymore. About two years ago her own father brought her to the Crimson Dove and signed her over! She is not the first girl I've met whose own family has thrown into the brothel, but I'll never stop being shocked by it or understand how they can do it.

How Ila came to the Crimson Dove is like most of the girls here. She fell in love and was seduced by a man who promised to marry her. As you can guess he did not keep his promise even after she discovered she was pregnant. After her parents found out she was brought here. She was so scared and so young, I wish there was more I could do for her. She gave birth to a healthy boy and he was sent to the Sisters of the Helping Hand. I do not think Ila knows he was named Dagr. The last I heard he had not been adopted.

I do not believe any of the girls belong here, no one belongs to a life like that, but Ila really did not belong here. It was already hard enough working in a brothel, but the man who disgraced her is a regular patron! His name is Jago Voclain, what a piece of work he is. Of all the girls at the Crimson Dove he always chose Ila. Usually a girl can refuse because most clients can be persuaded to chose a different one, but he insisted on her and was willing to pay twice as much. Poor Ila tried to fight him to the point the bouncers actually came in and helped Jago! It was disgusting, the bouncers are supposed to protect the girls. I tried to stop him myself the first time- and the Madam told me if I didn't stop that I would be fired. I don't care about getting paid but if I lose this job the girls will have no one taking care of them. Before I came to the Crimson Dove no midwives would come near the place, the girls were always getting pregnant, at least one a year died in childbirth, if they were hurt or sick they had no one to treat them. I still wish this terrible place would be shut down, prostitution banned and the girls given good jobs.

There had been a couple men who got rough with Ila, including one who nearly strangled her before she was able to break a glass on her nightstand and get a bouncer's attention, but none of them bothered Ila as much as Jago did.

Jago came several times a week, sometimes he would show up twice a day, he would show up at all hours, including dawn, so it was impossible to know when he was coming. Ila was nervous, hardly eating or sleeping, I know it's because she was in constant fear of Jago showing up. I told the Madam that she would go insane or give up on life altogether if Jago was allowed to continue, but because Jago was paying so much the Madam ignored me. After a while Ila stopped fighting and I could see life leaving her eyes. I began to worry she would try to kill herself and tried to keep a close eye on her. Sure enough one day she heard Jago coming up the stairs and she tried to throw herself over the balcony- a bouncer caught her just in time. Still the Madam let Jago have his way.

A couple weeks later the man you described showed up. He called himself Nelek Gerthrim. You say he's a merman but as far as I could tell he was human, but I've never met a merman before as far as I know. Ila came into my office and told me she had talked to Nelek about buying her contract and living with him and wanted my opinion on it. I still don't know, even after what you told me has happened to her. If she stayed at the Crimson Dove Jago would keep coming for her until she killed herself- I know she would not have survived to the end of her contract. I worried about her going away so I could not see her, what if this Nelek turned out to be cruel? She would be alone. But for the first time in months she had some light in her eyes, she had some hope. So I told her my concerns but that it was up to her. I do not know how much gold he paid the Madam but it must have been a lot for her to transfer Ila's contract. I wished Ila the best and asked her to write to me when she could. When Ila never wrote anything to me I hoped it was because she wanted to cut any ties to her life in the Crimson Dove. Most girls lucky enough to get out, even those that get out legally instead of running away, rarely write to me. I don't blame them.

Speaking of girls that get out of the Crimson Dove, Nelly's contract ended a month ago. As you know she fully recovered thanks to your help, she does not even limp. She has set up a yarn shop in the market and I have taken up knitting so I have an excuse to see how she is doing. Her business is doing well, her time at the Crimson Dove does not seem to have set her back, though I wonder if it will if she ever wants more from life than a yarn shop. Do you know anything about removing brands?

Sincerely,
Vilma Marquardt, midwife



Removing brands. Maybe Aalyssa could come up with something when she woke up. Difyr wanted to get that dove tattoo off Ila if she could. It was good to know that Nelly was doing well. But Vilma's account of Ila was troubling. Would she have to watch Ila to make sure she did not try killing herself? Hopefully Ila realized she was safe now.

Difyr folded the letter and put it back in her pocket.
Pinja Esposito
Player, 78 posts
Sat 20 Feb 2016
at 03:47
  • msg #214

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Pinja wished Difyr would just let her have wine. She reluctantly sipped at the broth.
Pinja Esposito
Player, 79 posts
Sat 20 Feb 2016
at 21:38
  • msg #215

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Pinja's wounds were healing, but she was already losing weight. She still would hardly eat anything and had a hard time just sipping broth. She had no appetite, she felt filthy, and was racked with guilt for what Jack's family did to the village.
Millie
NPC, 161 posts
Sat 20 Feb 2016
at 23:49
  • msg #216

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Millie split her time between Pinja and her mother. She helped in the kitchen during meals and quietly sewed functional clothing for the people from the village. They may not be fancy, but they would do. Missing her husband and daughter, Aunt Brie had moved into Aislyn and Millie's room and Brie would sit in the kitchen and help with what she could.
Difyr Bateman
Player, 335 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:03
  • msg #217

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Difyr was stressing out over Pinja. No matter what she tried she could not get her to eat enough.
Ila worried her too. Difyr knew she had been suicidal in the past. Ila seemed to be doing well, she had mostly healed. But she was too busy, she worked too hard. Difyr suspected that she worked to keep from thinking about what she had gone through, but eventually she would have to confront it. If she did not slow down and get more rest Difyr was afraid she would run herself to exhaustion. At least Ila was eating. Difyr had not told Ila about the letter she had gotten from Vilma yet. At first because she did not want to spring it on the girl while she was still recovering, then because she was not sure how Ila would feel about Difyr contacting the midwife from the brothel she used to work in. She might feel ashamed about it, angry or even betrayed.
Difyr turned the folded letter from Vilma in her hands. Finally she turned to Aalyssa. Now that the crisis had let up Aalyssa was awake and alert.
"Aalyssa, I met the midwife that works at the Crimson Dove a couple years ago, so I sent her a letter asking about Ila. She sent me a letter back, but I'm not sure what to do about it." She handed the letter to Aalyssa. "She should know about her son."
Lyssa
NPC, 155 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:12
  • msg #218

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"I agree. Having her son could be a great comfort to her. Despite what Ila believes, she can offer him a mother's love, and there's nothing more important in the world," Aalyssa replied.
Difyr Bateman
Player, 336 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:17
  • msg #219

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"Vilma doesn't think he's been adopted. The nuns are probably kind but they must have many other children to care for." Difyr rubbed her forehead. "If she knows Vilma wrote to me she'll want to see the letter... There's a lot of personal stuff about her in it."
Lyssa
NPC, 156 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:20
  • msg #220

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"Are you able to only give her one page, that has only that part on it? Or can part be cut away?"
Difyr Bateman
Player, 337 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:41
  • msg #221

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

Difyr unfolded the letter and handed it to Aalyssa. It was all one long piece of parchment. "The part about her son is right in the middle of it all. "I think she would notice if it was cut."
Lyssa
NPC, 157 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:46
  • msg #222

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"You don't think she would believe that the rest pertained to other patients and you're respecting their privacy?"
Difyr Bateman
Player, 338 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:49
  • msg #223

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"She's the only one from the Crimson Dove." Difyr said. "What other patients would Vilma be writing about?"
Lyssa
NPC, 158 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 00:55
  • msg #224

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"I don't know. I would think she would be treating all of those girls for one thing or another."
Difyr Bateman
Player, 339 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 01:08
  • msg #225

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"I did not ask her for advice for treating Pinja or Mrs Spenser and I highly doubt she met either of them, though she provided supplies for treating both." Difyr sighed. "I don't think Ila would be fooled by a cut up letter."
Lyssa
NPC, 159 posts
Sun 28 Feb 2016
at 01:22
  • msg #226

The Keep - The Healing Room (2)

"I wish I knew what to say. I'm sure it's all things Ila knows about, but could dredge up bad memories."
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