Summoning Italy

Chapter 36: Looking In

Three days after the Rimini Incident, E55 Highway, 6:35 AM, approaching Rimini

Velern looked out the bus window as she gazes at the passing trees beyond him. Unlike his fellow doctors in the bus, their conversations of the attack on Rimini was something he was thinking of instead.

Being an 89 year old blond Qua-Toynian elf, Velern was more like a 25 year old to the Italians on the bus. While he has seen many things in life, his mindset was still that of a young man's, and his journey to Italy has been long and tough.

Velern looked down to his necklace. An heirloom his mother passed to him. He and his family were one of many Qua-Toynian refugees that made the perilous journey across the Rodenius Sea to Italy. While the war was now over and the kingdom was rebuilding, Velern opted to stay. His family returned to Qua-Toyne, but he reckoned he would try his luck of settling into Italy.

Everything fascinated him. The culture, the technology, the cities; much of it was so familiar and yet also so alien. Velern however worried that he may not be able to stay long. Foreigners from Italy's world that were stuck in the country were already clogging up the immigration process and the government wasn't sure if they were exactly willing to accept Elysian ones due to the strain on resources.

But after the tragic attack on Rimini, Italy needed emergency medical workers. And that's how Velern found himself as a rarity among the emergency nurses of the bus. The elf looked down to his flask of special water. With him being a healer for his village, Velern was of course blessed with the ability to turn normal water into Essence. Just one drop on a wound and it would close up. Velern then turned to his bag. Inside was a spell book to treat severe wounds, from near amputations to broken bones.

The bus then soon stopped in front of a large, sprawling complex. Velern looked out, intrigued. Where were they?

"Okay everyone, here we are! Rimini Hospital!" The lead doctor announced as they were now hopping off.

A hospital? This place was huge! The biggest hospital they had was in the capital, and it was as more of a modestly-sized two storey building. Velern hopped off as he looked around before he adjusted his scrubs. While he still wore his traditional healer coat, he was told to wear something called 'scrubs' which felt very thin and uncomfortable but he wore them regardless.

Velern was now being queued to be processed and registered. There were tons of other nurses being lined up. Last he heard some were actually assigned to be here and didn't volunteer like him. Some were Italians, but he noticed a few others that looked to be more like foreigners. Though not like he was any different. As far as he was concerned, Velern looked to be the only Elysian volunteering.

Velern then was brought back to reality as he accidentally bumped into the woman in front of him. She looked to be middle aged, quite short, and of darker skin, "I'm sorry-"

The woman however smiled as she looked back, "Oh it's alright." She said, her accent coming through. While the Common Language's magic was happening, accents still tend to come through and hers was way different from the Italians. "Oh my I haven't seen a Qua-Toynian in a while. Are you here to volunteer?"

Velern took note of the woman's friendliness and smiled, "Yes ma'am. I've been trying to find a job as a healer so I was told I can volunteer for here." He said.

"Oh that's nice of you. I was assigned here from Naples. My name is Marie. You are?"

"Velern, ma'am... You don't seem to be an Italian?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, no I'm not. I'm from the Philippines. I work here in Italy as a nurse," She said with a smile. "I'm one of the luckier ones. My husband and children were visiting me when the transfer occurred... Cannot say the same to my peers however."