Back Among the Living

We're finally clearing,
it's been one hell of a storm,
I don't know what I'm feeling,
but I'm not numb anymore,
After you left me,
I laid down my heart and died inside,
but in the middle of dying,
I found the strength to survive,
now I'm back among the living...
~Lorrie Morgan


Dana had allowed herself exactly twelve hours to mope in her suite at Heolfor, before luxuriating in her shower for nearly another hour. She left her hair to dry as she carefully selected clothing. Black silk stockings covered her legs, beneath a knee length smoke gray skirt, with a ruffled hem, that she topped with a green silk button down and matching cropped jacket.

The blow dryer finished her hair, and she completed her outfit with a string of pearls, earring and black slingbacks. With a final check of her appearance in the mirror, she left her green cocoon, and went down to the garage. Her car had been retrieved from the airport parking garage some three months ago when she'd remembered it and had made a very brief phone call to Rupert about it.

It had been kept in excellent running condition and the tank was full, something she was sure happened upon her arrival home. It was time to face the piper, so to speak. She couldn't imagine Bao would be please to see her, but she couldn't expect him to talk with her about her absence over the phone. The only solace she'd had about it, was that she'd been between clients when she'd fled to her maker's home.

The little black car slid into a spot in the parking garage and she rode the elevator to the floor of Bao's offices. With a breath she collected herself and stepped through the outer door. The receptionist's desk was empty, but that didn't surprise her, it was after all nearly ten o'clock. Tugging at the hem of her jacket, she took another deep breath and knocked on the closed door of Bao's office. She assumed he was there as the light was on, but she could be standing outside of an empty well lit office.