Nillian immediately walks towards the cabinet with maps, and selects a map which appeals to him. He opens it and looks through it, trying to get a feeling for the city and where they will have to go the next few days. Lyxia has followed him, and is looking over his shoulder.
"If you are looking at the plan, the map, you'd better look for the best way to get to the hospital."
Nillian turns to look at her.
"Oh, is it already that time?"
"It is if you want to be there on time. So pay for the map and let's go."
Nillian nods and walks over to the counter. There he pays for the map and turns to the door. But he is interrupted by the clerk.
"Excuse me, sir? I heard that you are looking for the hospital? That is quite easy, you should go right over there, follow the road until you reach a bridge, then turn left. Follow the river and you will see the hospital on your left."
"Ah, thank you very much!"
"No problem. Have a nice day!"
Nillian and Lyxia go outside and follow the instructions of the clerk. They easily find the bridge and follow the water. It is a beautiful part of the town, with small houses decorated with flowers and plants. There are often people sitting at the side of the road, with a fishing rod and net at the ready.
The hospital is a large building, and they can see it from quite a ways off. It towers over the nearby buildings, drawing attention to it quite easily. It is entirely painted white, and therefore is reflecting the sunlight off its walls. There are a lot of windows on the higher floors, the lower floor is entirely sealed except for a large door.
Nillian and Lyxia make their way to the entrance and go inside. There they are standing in a large hallway, with to their right an open waiting chamber, and a large nurses' station to their left. Nillian walks over and addresses one of the nurses sitting there.
"Good afternoon. We are looking for our sister, Rowena Luckett, who works here. Do you perhaps know where to find her?"
"Afternoon. Luckett? That name does not ring a bell, but let me check the roster."
She leafs through a large map with different kind of rosters and schedules, till she finds what she is looking for.
"Ah, yes, she works in the Children's Wing. Just go down this hallway and take the elevator to the third floor. There you can follow the arrows."
"Alright, thank you very much."
The elevator is a small wooden chamber, with a metal grating acting as a kind of door, which is standing open. Nillian lets Lyxia go in first, then slides the grating shut behind him. Inside the elevator he sees a box hanging from the wall, with a large lever attached to it. Beside the lever there is a row of numbers, going from one to six. He quickly figures out how to work the lever, and turns it to the number three.
With a hiss the elevator starts to move. Nillian hears the telltale sounds that the elevator is operated by a steam engine, probably located at the top of the building. The ride is very smooth, and after a few seconds they arrive at the third floor.
They exit the elevator, and look around. In front of them there are several wooden arrows, either pointing right or left. In each arrow a name of the relevant section is written. They find the arrow which says Children’s Wing, and follow it. The way is very easy, as this section of the hospital is mostly made up of long straight corridors, with a lot of closed doors. Then they come to a wide hall, with again a waiting room and a nurses' station. There Rowena is already waiting for them, smiling.
"Good, you found it. Did you have a good day?"
"Yes indeed! I still have to do some searching, but I think I am getting closer. Sadly Lyxia is becoming a bit bored."
"I can understand that, boring brother of mine."
Rowena smiles and hugs Nillian. Then she leads them both to the nearby ward.
"Let me show you around a bit. Here we treat our young patients, and here they often stay during their treatment. Over there we have two operation rooms, which we luckily don't have to use very often. Some of the contagious patients have to be kept separate, and therefore have their own rooms, at the other side of the ward."
Rowena leads them through the whole ward and the other rooms, telling a bit about them. Half an hour later they return to the nurses' station.
"So this is where I work. Now let me check that there are no emergencies, and then we can go to my place."
She moves off to the back of the nurses station, and after a few seconds returns.
"Everything is quiet, let's go."
Together the three of them make their way back to the elevator, where they have to wait a bit until it arrives at their floor. Then they take the elevator down, and walk out. Outside Rowena takes the lead and takes Nillian and Lyxia to her home, which is about fifteen minutes walking.
Rowena lives in a street close to the city centre. All the buildings are three stories high, and are actually three apartments on top of each other. The house Rowena heads to is about halfway the street and looks well-kept. Next to every house there is a small alleyway, closed off with a wooden door. Rowena unlocks and opens her door, leading Nillian and Lyxia to the back. There they see a large stairs going up. Rowena lives on the second floor, so she has both someone living underneath her and above her.
Her apartment is very neat, everything is shining and clear. Most of the floors and walls are lacquered wood, with some carpets and drapes. At the door they are greeted by Rowena's housecat, a black tomcat called Jer. He mews at the strange people coming into his house, then begins to nuzzle himself on their legs. When Nillian reaches down to pet him he begins to purr.
"That it Jer, don't mind him. He is a spoiled creature, always wanting attention. But do come in, just feel at home."
Rowena walks off and a few seconds later returns from the kitchen wearing a white apron, with an extra one in her hands.
"So, who is going to help with cooking dinner?"
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