Chapter 15: Better Homes and Gardens.

My mind was fuzzy and my head was pounding, but man, were these pillows soft. "Mm" I try snuggling in deeper after all I was still tired.

"I am very happy you are awake, and that you like the silk sheets but we do have work to get to." At that comment I noticed I was firmly entrenched in a satin and silk mix of comforters and blankets. As soon as this registered in my sleep addled brain I shot up and was fully awake. "Good morning Doctor" Vellantha almost sang with a cheerful voice.

"Uh yes, good morning Milady, sorry must have passed out" I quickly role out of bed and away from Vellantha who giggles and I realize I am in a completely different room from the one I woke up in the first time we'd met.

"Where are we?" I say looking over at Vellantha with a befuddled expression.

"Why your house of course"

"Huh" my confusion is still plain as Vellantha moves from her position on the bed.

"Well, you're going to be here for a while so I thought you should have somewhere you can call your own." She proceeds to give me a warm smile as she takes my hand "Please don't try to refuse this, the house is a gift; and I realize you have no money so payment is not necessary."

My mind reeled as I recalled the rigors of the day. "The people, what happened to the people hurt in the explosion?!" I nearly yelled in a panic, here I was sleeping while people might still be hurt.

"They're fine, Doctor they were all taken care of after you passed out from over exertion." Vellantha replies with a soft gentle voice.

"Good, good" I look down and notice my clothes have been changed into a comfy pair of pajamas. Looking around the room I think well Vellantha certainly has good taste; the room was an open design with large windows that let in the warm red light of the ever present moon. The dark black hardwood floors are draped in stylized rugs with a red, black, and silver pattern. The king sized bed I had been sleeping on sat at the center of the room with a nightstand to the left of it. The clock sitting on the nightstand read 8:56am geez I can sleep for a long time. A closet door was set into one of the walls; I crossed over to it and opened the doors revealing a walk in closet lined with high end suits, shoes, and other accessories.

"I took note of what you were wearing after I brought you to Rathengalia the first time we met, all the clothes are tailored to your body; hopefully the styles are to your liking." There was that captivating warm smile again.

"Yes, they're lovely but when did you have time to take my measurements?"

Vellantha just giggled obscenely at this, shaking my head I scanned the rest of the room a desk rested in one corner while an oak bookcase occupied another. "While these pajamas are nice and soft do you mind if I change?"

"Oh yes please, the bathroom is through that door Doctor" Vellantha points to another door in the room.

Quickly gathering up some clothes, a pair of shoes, socks, and underwear I move into the bathroom to change. After about five minutes I come out dressed in a comfortable black suit, black trousers, a white dress shirt and yellow tie and sneakers.

"Well don't you clean up nicely" Vellantha shoots me another smile. She then begins leading me through the house. "It's all on one level except for the basement and the patio" Vellantha sings out taking my hand. She pulls me through my new home showing off the kitchen and dining area, with breakfast nook of course. The cabinets were dark black adorned wood with a slick grey granite countertop. A metallic double wide fridge-freezer combination is set on one side of the kitchen. A gas stove sits at the middle point of the countertop

"Thank goodness it's a gas stove and not a damn electric one." I yell happily. Vellantha grins joyfully at me while coming closer.

"I'm so pleased you like it Doctor."

"Yes it's lovely thank you Milady." Now that Vellantha and I are standing still for an extended period I can see she is definitely taller than me, easily standing at 7 feet tall by my quick estimation. I glance around the rest of the kitchen marveling at the sheer size and resplendence of the whole thing.

"Doctor? Doctor are you okay?"

I clear my throat and step back from Vellantha shaking my head

"Sorry lost myself in the spectacle for a moment."

Vellantha frowns slightly at my spacing out.

"Just as long as you're okay my friend." before grabbing my hand and pulling me into yet another room. Now we appeared to be in a den the warm lighting combined with the red moon light steaming through several large windows gave the room a comfortable ambiance. The dark hardwood floors continued through the den. A rug, similar to the one from the bedroom covers part of the floor. Several couches and chairs were positioned around a coffee table in a sitting area. An enormous TV whose design was reminiscent of organic circuitry encompassed one entire wall of the room. Several book shelves stood along one wall and were lined with an assortment of texts and volumes. "I wasn't sure what you liked to read so I put together a variety.

Vellantha chimed in breaking through my internal thinking of what did I do to deserve such a lovely gift? Moving to the sitting area I notice a large electric fire place that I had skipped over when initially viewing the room.

"Come Doctor, there is still much to see." Vellantha calls to me as she begins leading me elsewhere. Vellantha led me back through the kitchen and into a passage behind an ornate door hewn from dark wood. The door was designed with intricate sigils of protection carved into its very fabric of its wood.

"These sigils are incredibly powerful and are very old, you didn't just build this house it's been here for a while so whose was it?" Vellantha turned looking back at me; she had a far off expression on her face as if reliving old memories. Happy ones at least if the thin smile she was wearing was any indication.

"He's an old friend and he lived here when I was younger."

"What happened to him?" I was curious now anyone that needed this level of warding magic was either stupidly over paranoid, actually had horrible enemies, or had a little from column A and a little from column B swirling in their head.

"He said he had an important job to do but that I would see him again, that was a couple thousand years ago."

I smile trying to reassure her "I'm sure you'll see him again."

"Oh, I know it." Vellantha replies with a quick smirk. With that she leads me through the door and down a long flight of steps where another large door sits this time it's a huge metal security door like the one from TRON.

"Now that is a big door" I think aloud. Typing in an override code into the security panel; Vellantha instructs me to let the computer scan me to input relative data such as my genetic structure, height, build, retinal identification, finger prints, and age into the databanks for future reference. Once all of the hoop jumping was finished, which including creating a unique passcode is complete Vellantha welcomes me to a custom built laboratory with state of the art scientific and magical equipment. "I don't even know what to say this is amazing!"

"I'd hoped you like it." Vellantha replied coyly while walking to one of the many work benches where she seated herself with a cute "huff" her breasts and butt jiggling as she did so; something I think she did intentionally. Looking about the lab that Vellantha had so graciously included with the house I could see a multitude of equipment of enumerable designs and functions.

An overly complex array of computer monitors and keyboards sat on a long desk covering an entire wall. Machines and other mechanical equipment occupied its own space. Huge bookcases that resembled red oak held hand bound books and tomes. Several large maps of the world hung from sections of the ceiling several had written notes in the margin with arrows and patterns zigzagging across the continents. My mind was reeling I was like a small nerd in a comic shop this entire place was wondrous to behold. After what I assume to be a long time knowing me it was quite a while. Vellantha and I exited the lab and I insisted she keep her clearance in case she wished to drop by. We made our way to the patio which was similar in design to the royal gardens at the castle but possessed its own eccentric flair much like the rest of the property.

"How can I every repay you for this kindness Milady? I know you said payment wasn't necessary but I'd feel remiss if I didn't do something." I inquired rather timidly, as I did not possess any money as I had said before.

"Well you could work as the castle's resident General Practitioner. I know you are a skilled physician your display tending to the victims in today's incident proves that; besides you will be here for at least a little while or we could come to another arrangement." Vellantha swayed her form alluringly in front of me picking just the right angles for the red light of the moon to accentuate her sexy figure. "Like mucking out the Bicorn stalls" she says this with a straight face before doubling over guffawing loudly.

"While the second offer is truly tempting Milady" I barely restrain my sarcasm. "I believe my skills would be best used as a GP." I reply giving a quick smile. Vellantha returns the gesture with a smile of her own and turns to leave. "Milady" stopping Vellantha looks back at me "There must be something I can do to repay you for all this as well. You saved my life after I got stabbed, then you give me a place to live until I can reclaim my TARDIS."

She seemed to be thinking for a moment before she spoke.

"There is one thing you can do for me, please call me Vellantha this 'Milady' nonsense is too formal for my taste."

"As you wish Vellantha" she nods at me and waves before flapping her huge white wings and soaring off into the sky. "Damn so they're not just for show" I mutter quietly.