Chapter 26: Wele to the Asklepios icA gentle night wind, den with the smell of eucalyptus and wild thyme, tugged pyfully at her long hair. Zephyr fingers lifted her skirt and softly stroked the pale skin briefly revealed over the top of ivory-white stogs, and just as quickly withdrew with a sibint snigger. The skirt settled in a cascade of pleats as dy absently brushed a few errant strands from her face back behind one ear. She walked fidently across the pavement towards the brilliantly lit entrance.

  The building was a low-built pieinimalist modernist design, all bleached crete, odd angles and wide windows that glittered with captured outside light. A white walkway of cleverly interlog stones, lined oher side by carefully trimmed hedges, led to the bright entranbsp; After the time spent driving through darkness, the effect was harsh and nearly blinding on the eyes of the two women. dy’s aunt wearily opehe door for her daughter. Dressed in sneakers, jogging pants and a baggy faded T-shirt embzoned with “Arizona: Hotter Than Ever”, Wendy Jones seemed drab and just a little out of pbsp;

  The younger girl smiled gratefully at her aunt. Her steps faltered slightly and she slowed her walk as she approached the rough-hewn stone desk at the far side of the room. The staccato sound of her heels clig against the stone underfoot resonated crisply through the bare hall. The floor was slippery and polished to a brilliant, almost wet-looking sheen. Fieri into the stone ter, lit softly from within in pink, weled newers to the ‘Aklepios id promised ‘liness, Medie, Healing’.

  The lights at the far end of the hall were softer and subdued. An unremarkable but attractive young man stood behind the ter. His hair was short and his face -shaven, his crisp white shirt tucked into well-fitted grey scks. He offered a somewhat bnd smile at their approach.

  “Wele to the Asklepios ic,” he said, his eyes slowly looking over dy before passing to the aunt. “How may I help you?”

  dy smiled and leairedly against the desk. It came to just above her waist, and the sign below felt warm against her bare thigh. “Hey there,” she said, smiling brightly though her eyes looked tired. “How ya doin’--”her eyes danced across the boy’s chest before settling on a small, gold e pio his pocket--“Chris?”

  “Very well,” he answered, returning his attention to dy. “May I be of assistance?”

  She leaned forward slightly, arms crossed beh her bosom. “We--ll,” she drawled, and grinned, “I think we’re here to che.” dy gnced aside at her aunt. “Yeah?”

  Wendy nodded. She handed a mani folder tucked under her arm to the young man. “You’ll find all our dots in order,” she said curtly. dy was a little surprised by her mother’s abruptness. “My name is Wendy Jones. This is my niece dy Belmy.”

  The boy sat down behind the ter. A momehey heard the tapping of his fingers dang across an unseen keyboard. “This will just take a moment, Ms Jones,” he said. “Thank you for having everything so well anized.”

  dy gnced aside at her mom before returnitention to the boy. “So Chris,” she asked, and the pink glow from the ter seemed to settle in glistening hues across her lips. “Do you like having things in order?”

  “Yes,” the boy answered without looking up.

  “Has it been a busy night?”

  “No.”

  She rolled her shoulder forwards, bringing her elbows clether to atuate the tight curves beh her sweater. “You work here all night on your own?” she asked, her voice a suggestive purr. She licked her lips. “It must get awfully lonely.”

  “Not really,” the boy answered. His eyes gnced up then dropped back to his work. “I’m sorry Miss Belmy, but I’ll register you faster without further distras.”

  Wendy chuckled.

  dy gred at her mom. “What?”

  She shook her head, grinnih i eyes. “Nothing, dear.”

  A few minutes passed in sileerrupted only by the sound of typing. Bored, dy pyed with her hair as her gaze swept across the long window-lined room. The trast between the light within and the dark beyond the windows made it impossible to see outside, though the faint impression of branches could be seen swaying in the wind, g and clig against the gss. Water trickled in some fountain unseen in a room beyond the reception desk. Wheepped away for a quick wander her mother held her back with a soft toubsp; The boy finally looked up.

  “Wele to the Asklepios ic, Ms Belmy,” he repeated, eyes on dy. This time his smile seemed genuinely warm and weling. “We have yistered in a private room in the Hygieia tre. Lisa here,” he tinued, gesturing to his side just as a young woman stepped into view, “will show you the way to your room.” Her uniform, a shrey skirt over pale tights, and a white blouse nearly identical to Chris’ shirt, was equally crisp and professional.

  “If you would follow me?” Lisa’s voice leasantly soft and lilting.

  dy looked to her mom for acquiesbsp; Wendy nodded and they fell into step behind the young girl.

  “I hope you enjoy your stay, dy,” the boy called out from behind them.

  Author's Notes:

  If you're impatient to read on, you find ter chapters at FM S. You also find everything up to Book 3, Chapter 6 avaible on Patreon: patreon./fakeminsk, as well as fanart and a few side projects.