A Time to Heal, A Time to Plan

Dear Reader,

Qli and I are recuperating quite well. Lady Darkling's sanctum is most conducive to healing. The chairs are so comfortable they seem to have their own gravity wells. The ethereal music is relaxing. The art is intriguing, and even the living walls seem to embrace us in a nurturing atmosphere.

This is exactly the sort of space I wish to turn my home into. I had a jump start before I left. The closest I'll ever get to telling the Demon how I felt about him was shattering his precious throne with an axe and burning it..and his other infernal contraptions..in the living room fireplace overnight. I almost wonder if it's better to tear the Horned One's lair to the ground an rebuild from scratch..like my life.

I had Miss Orr's furniture shipped back to her the next morning. I have no idea what her take is on the current situation, but for certain I won't risk a confrontation.
Death and Rebirth may be a carousel ride for the Incubus, but I am all too human. He already granted me the pleasure of being eviscerated once. I do not think I can survive another such encounter.


When I return to Steelhead..

I have no intention of entering the Taiyu House unless I am summoned, with Doctor's bag in hand.

(Note to Self: I must visit TombStone to speak to the medical staff there. I could use their advice on where to purchase supplies, and what equipment I need to turn my main level into a clinic.)

I'm not happy keeping a gun in the house either, but it is still the Frontier..and the Weird Wild West. It was the Horrors of War that traumatized me enough to first give the Demon the upper hand.

I won't be attending the Friday events in Steelhead. While tending to the sick has always been considered a form of prayer in itself, I will not violate the Sabbath by
cavorting about in a Mummer's parade outfit! I might actually enjoy putting on a tuxedo for a Saturday night event, but I really don't have the charisma of my predecessor. Since Qli is a golem, she is exempt from these restrictions. She can raise money to keep the Foundation running, and I will be content with whatever is donated to help run my practice.

I am finally getting used to having my own body back. Among the very few positive side-effects of the possession..my body seems not to have aged during his reign, and judging from my peak health, I might have even aged backwards! Also, the pathways of my mind to my psychic talents have been widened. Telekinesis, Telepathy, Clairvoyance, even Teleportation..all these Disciplines have been enhanced.

As for Magic..the Demon has made a total wreck of my library! Oh Mr. Drinkwater, you would faint dead away to see what has become of my shelves! Nothing is categorized..the most dangerous of tomes were left lying about for the uninitiated to open, even those where just looking at their covers are dangerous! And those books I had found, he'd scribbled in the margins and between the lines the most rude sketches and his darkest obsessions..oh Steelhead is lucky they did not see even half of the schemes he contemplated!

And I found works of the most horrid filth one could ever imagine! Merely flipping through a few pages of a poorly-bound pamphlet of rice paper (marked by a code beginning with the numeral 4...) nearly made me retch! I threw it straight into the fireplace along with his precious throne!

It is so tempting to remain here in Tanlgewood, but Steelhead feels more home to me than anywhere else, and they do need a Physician desperately. Except for my war buddies Fuzzball and meQal, and my childhood friend T. Masala, nobody in Steelhead knows the real me..not even my own daughter!

Yes, the Demon proclaimed Brothers, Sisters, and Nieces in his territory, but I had no role in those demonic pacts..they are null and void to me, save for Qli, for she is the product of my works that the Incubus took all the credit for.

Oh Dear, I'm breaking a sweat. I need to calm down. Maybe a proper noontime meal will settle my nerves.

~Dr. Mason