Dante awoke, staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling. He felt a chilly breeze coming from the side together with the morning sun. He also felt a headache though not serious enough to impede him, so Dante gathered enough strength to sit up.
Looking around, he was clearly in a hospital room, another white bed not far to his left, though he was alone at the moment. Standing up, Dante wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't really stay long since the hospital might find out about his lack of identity, nor could he just sneak out for the fear of implicating Lucy and Karl.
Karl… Dante realised and what happened the previous night rushed to the forefront of his mind. He needed to know what had happened after he had passed out and he needed to know as soon as possible. So any options besides staying were no longer feasible. Sitting back down, Dante waited. It only took a few minutes before a nurse entered the room, though even enduring that time felt far too long for Dante, still dreading the worst.
“You are finally awake, so how are you feeling?” the nurse asked. She seemed to be around 30 and not particularly good looking, though Dante couldn’t care less about her appearance at that moment.
“Do you know what happened to the man with heart attack from last night?” he asked directly. It was probably not the best move but Dante found it hard to care at that moment.
“Oh, you were brought in with him right?” the nurse was slightly wide-eyed before answering with a smile, “Well, I do have some good news, then. Karl made it,” she said and Dante felt himself overwhelmed by relief, “He is asleep right now but I overheard the doctor saying that he should be released by the end of the week. You on the other hand… What is your name?”
“Dante,” Null answered.
“Dante, we didn’t find any ID on you. I didn’t want to disturb Lucy considering what had happened, though since she vouched for you I want to give you the benefit of the doubt,” the nurse stared at Dante though her smile remained. Apparently she was acquaintances with Lucy to at least some degree, so unless Karl got sick regularly, that had tp be the hospital Lucy would go to because of her university course.
“I am sorry, I forgot my wallet at home,” Dante made an awkward smile as he lied through his teeth, well aware it was still hidden in the inner pocket of his jacket, hanging from a nearby coat hanger “I will call my mom right away,” he reached into his pocket and then pretended to pat it as well as his other pockets with panic a few times before saying, “I think I lost my phone.”
“Should I ask around at lost-and-found?” the nurse said, though her brow furrowed slightly.
“No, I think I know where it is,” Dante sighed, “I must’ve left it on the table at the cafe. I know my parents’ number though. They are probably worried sick by now, could I call them to come pick me up.”
“I should probably go ask a doctor,” the nurse pondered for a few moments before deciding not to make any calls, “Rest for a bit longer.”
“Morning young man,” it did not take long before a man in a proper white coat walked in.
“Good morning,” Dante fought off the sudden burst of discomfort and politely greeted the doctor.
“Are you feeling alright?” the man asked, eyeing Dante from head to toe.
“As fit as a fiddle,” Dante confidently assured him, hiding the headache since he would rather not have anyone dig into its obvious cause, “Could I call my parents please,” he then pushed on.
“Of course,” the doctor nodded, reaching into his pocket, “Here, use mine. And don’t forget to remind her that we are going to need some insurance information.”
“Yes,” Dante reigned in his nervousness as he dialled a number. Although he had not been allowed to carry his own phone, Shin had given him a contact number in case of an emergency.
“Hello,” Ariane’s voice sounded from the other side as soon as she picked up, “What might you have to say.”
“Hey mom, it’s Dante,” since he was not alone, Dante could only relay everything discreetly, hoping that Ariane would not take offence, “I am sorry for not calling earlier but I had passed out last night and probably left my phone there.”
“And where would that be?” Ariane played along.
“Over at Karl’s cafe, The Dancing Fox,” Dante quickly answered.
“I know the place,” surprisingly, Arianne needed no further clarification. Or perhaps it was not so surprising. It would be only natural to learn everything she could about the people under her direct command, “What went down?”
“Karl, he had a heart attack, I think,” Dante tried to explain as concisely as possible, “At some point, I must’ve passed out because the next thing I know is waking up here at the hospital a few minutes ago. Could you please come pick me up? I had forgotten my wallet at home yesterday so I don’t have any ID on me. Oh right, where even is this?” Dante turned towards the doctor who was standing perhaps a bit closer than discretion would dictate, though probably not close enough to actually hear Ariane.
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“Saint Robert’s street hospital,” the doctor pronounced loud and clear.
“Did you get that,” Dante tried to confirm.
“Yes. Don’t worry, your mother will be right there to pick you up,” Arianne said and hang up. Dante immediately felt a different kind of dread. The stress on the word mother left no doubt that she would not be reasonable about the circumstances and would inevitably end up taking any frustration out on Dante during their next one-on-one session.
“Thank you,” though Dante could not let his expression crumble as he continued playing his part, returning the phone, ”She said that she will get here ASAP. Could I go see Karl before she does?”
“Sorry, he is on family visits only right now while we have him under constant observation,” the doctor shook his head with a sympathetic expression, “You would need a permission from his daughter, though Lucy just passed out after staying up all night looking over him," based on his expression, the doctor too was well acquaintances with Lucy.
“I understand,” Dante sighed. It would be just plain immature to disturb Lucy after what she had just gone through. And his presence wouldn’t change anything either way, “I will just hang around here then?”
“Traffic is thankfully pretty low right now,” the doctor nodded, “I will send someone to get you… eh…”
“Dante,” Null smiled a bit cheeky
"I will send someone to get you when your mother gets here, Dante," the Doctor repeated the sentence and then rather quickly left. Dante sat down on the bed, with plenty to think about, staring at his right palm.
Did I make a difference yesterday? he pondered, no clear answer coming to mind. Judging by the headache, he had clearly used potent magic but whether it actually did something was a different thing entirely. He could’ve about as likely just squandered a bunch of mana into the surroundings, achieving nothing. The most proof he had was a hazy memory of Karl’s hand twitching right after the magic was cast but that also made Dante recall something else: Shin’s repeated and firm lessons on how unreliable human memory can be. Of how the brain might fabricate something a person wishes for and then completely fools itself into believing it. In the end, no matter how hard he thought about it, the memory remained just as hazy and uncertain.
“Dante?” the same nurse from before entered eventually, “Your mother is at the reception,” and so Dante trod beside the nurse, committing the building layout to his memories as a way of passing the awkward silence, already dreading the following encounter.
When they arrived in the lobby there was quite the sight to behold. First of all, Dante saw Ariane not wear an old fashioned dress for the first time, instead, she was adorned in jeans and long sleeve shirt covered by a white blouse, also accompanied by a velvet scarf around her neck. As always though, there was no trace of makeup. When Dante stopped gazing at Ariane, he realised that the atmosphere was a bit strange. The nurse behind the reception desk seemed to be strangely quiet and teary in the eyes while Ariane stared her down, intensely. Even the three other people sitting around the nearby benches were very quiet and clearly trying to merge with their surroundings in order to avoid any involvement.
“Dante!” Ariane exclaimed, her pitch at least an octave higher than when she usually spoke and also uncharacteristically angry, “Let’s get out of here. These people are absolutely unbelievable! And you,” she turned towards the desk nurse, frowning, “Try pulling this again and you will hear from my lawyers!”
After the nurses meek yes madam, Ariane crossed her arms and started leaving. Dante gave the nurse beside him an apologetic goodbye and dashed to Ariane’s side. Leaving the hospital building, he raised his arm to cover his eyes as the sun shone directly into them from the east. A slight hiss even escaped his lips as the intense sunlight made his headache worsen for a moment.
“What exactly did you do in the lobby,” Dante couldn’t help asking as they trod along the parking lot.
“I played into your story,” Ariane smiled back to her usual voice, “I heard you got along quite well with the Old fox’s daughter. What better excuse than such an obnoxious mother could you possibly have to be home as little as possible? Also, it was maybe the fastest way to get out without actually having the proper insurance documents”
“Thank you,” Dante said, though he felt a bit bad for the poor nurse, “And please excuse my absence.”
“I thought you might have run for it,” Ariane snickered.
“If I did, where would I even go?” Dante could only sigh. He didn’t need to be reminded that there would be nowhere to run.
“Yet what you did was far more stupid,” Ariane suddenly frowned, very serious and even her glare turned terrifying as she focused it on Dante.
“I will pay for any expense that might have arisen from this,” Dante felt himself go pale.
“Of course you will but that is not what I am talking about,” Ariane did not release her gaze as she reached into her pocket, unlocking a nearby brand new sports car, “Get in.”
“What else did I do?” Dante asked as soon as he put on the seat belt.
“Do you think you can fool me?” Ariane started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot, “The nurse said you were feeling fine, yet the moment we walk outside the building you are acting as though you have a pretty bad headache. Now what kind of headache would you not tell a doctor about?” she said and Dante swallowed, “Clearly, you are mana starved. Which means you had used magic beyond your capability yesterday.”
“I was desperate,” Dante admitted, “I had to try something and...”
“No you didn’t,” Ariane cut him off, “Healing magic takes decades upon decades of practice, meticulous study of the human anatomy as well as sufficient reserves of mana. Only then can it be safely used. Out of the three, you might barely possess the third. What you did was stupid and reckless. Frankly, it is a bloody miracle you didn’t kill the Old fox where he lied.”
“I…” Dante was speechless but couldn’t argue. Ariane was clearly far more acquaintanced with magic and it’s nuances. The idea that he could’ve hurt Karl instead of helping also clutched his chest, “I didn’t know.”
“That is exactly the issue,” Ariane grunted though the pressure from her gaze had thankfully disappeared as she had to focus a bit on driving, “So I will be making sure you don’t make a mistake like that again. I am going to specifically tutor you and in the meantime, you are absolutely forbidden from even trying to use any magic I don’t specifically permit. Understand?”
“Yes,” Dante was still a bit pale as he nodded.
“Then sit back and be silent. I am not in the mood for any more talking,” Ariane finished their conversation and turned her full attention towards driving. Meanwhile, Dante tried to drill himself into the cushions.