It's only to be expected, of course, that they couldn't stand the isolation for long — Lisa least of all, fueled as she is by her drive to put her skills to use helping others. So perhaps it comes as little surprise that the castle moves again before long, this time on a long jaunt that takes a fair amount of Vlad's focus to accomplish. But there are a few fortuitous things about the move, the most obvious of which being that it still puts them well and truly distant from the dangers they'd faced in Wallachia.
Prague is not a town like the ones they'd left behind. No, Prague is a proper city, developed and bustling with people, with commerce, with ideas. Prague boasts a university of radical thinkers, and more than one outspoken voice willing to decry the church and its workings. Prague has a culture of science and learning, not ignorance and superstition; more than once, the astronomical clock has drawn Lisa's attention, and resulted in more than a bit of insistent urging to convince Vlad to visit it with her.
And of course, Prague is a city ready to embrace a doctor with open arms. Procuring a space as the future site of her clinic isn't difficult in the slightest, and the structure is a charming one, set into the high wall of a narrow winding street, with a red rooftop and an empty sign hanging out over the walkway just waiting for a proper lettering to advertise her availability. It's modest but serviceable, with an upstairs and a downstairs, and while it can't possibly replace what she'd lost when the bishop had burned her cottage, it feels like a fresh start, to walk through it.
Vlad, of course, had sneered at the prospect of city life, yet he'd loathed the idea of being away from them more. So more often than not, he can be seen around the town, himself — always given a wide berth, and certainly gossiped about, but mostly just because the locals don't really know what to make of him, the visiting aristocrat from some unknown locale. And of course, when all else fails, there is always the castle, tucked away some distance from the city, awaiting them always should they choose to run back to the safety of its walls.
But it doesn't feel like they need to, not here. The very atmosphere of Prague is so different from what they'd left behind, and truly, it's a welcomed change of pace.]
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It's only to be expected, of course, that they couldn't stand the isolation for long — Lisa least of all, fueled as she is by her drive to put her skills to use helping others. So perhaps it comes as little surprise that the castle moves again before long, this time on a long jaunt that takes a fair amount of Vlad's focus to accomplish. But there are a few fortuitous things about the move, the most obvious of which being that it still puts them well and truly distant from the dangers they'd faced in Wallachia.
Prague is not a town like the ones they'd left behind. No, Prague is a proper city, developed and bustling with people, with commerce, with ideas. Prague boasts a university of radical thinkers, and more than one outspoken voice willing to decry the church and its workings. Prague has a culture of science and learning, not ignorance and superstition; more than once, the astronomical clock has drawn Lisa's attention, and resulted in more than a bit of insistent urging to convince Vlad to visit it with her.
And of course, Prague is a city ready to embrace a doctor with open arms. Procuring a space as the future site of her clinic isn't difficult in the slightest, and the structure is a charming one, set into the high wall of a narrow winding street, with a red rooftop and an empty sign hanging out over the walkway just waiting for a proper lettering to advertise her availability. It's modest but serviceable, with an upstairs and a downstairs, and while it can't possibly replace what she'd lost when the bishop had burned her cottage, it feels like a fresh start, to walk through it.
Vlad, of course, had sneered at the prospect of city life, yet he'd loathed the idea of being away from them more. So more often than not, he can be seen around the town, himself — always given a wide berth, and certainly gossiped about, but mostly just because the locals don't really know what to make of him, the visiting aristocrat from some unknown locale. And of course, when all else fails, there is always the castle, tucked away some distance from the city, awaiting them always should they choose to run back to the safety of its walls.
But it doesn't feel like they need to, not here. The very atmosphere of Prague is so different from what they'd left behind, and truly, it's a welcomed change of pace.]