"Doctor Blanche is treating them," Noire answered Aloisa, listless, drained of enthusiasm. She was prepared for a barrage of questions, the same questions, and at some juncture the staff must have discussed those questions between them, for none of it surprised Doctor Noire at all.<br/>"They are being cared for as guests, but there was an incident among them which necessitated separating several from the others. Additionally, they came to us with injuries requiring urgent treatment. They were moved, from their accommodations," she said, indicating the spare bedroom Danae and Margaret found lifeless, "to the infirmary."<br/><br/>"Patients are given numbers. They are given masks. The practice may seem draconian," Doctor Noire explained.<br/>"Indeed," chimed Margaret.<br/>"But a psyche without a name is unburdened of the identity responsible for previous evils," the doctor continued. "A psyche without a face is far more curious about the perspective of others. It is regrettable that you see these souls at their lowest, but from here, there is improvement. The asylum could not continue, were it not so."<br/><br/>"I cannot discuss specific cases," she said to Danae. "This evening, when the patients are bedded and my duties relieved, I will have something to show you the patients must not be privy to."<br/><br/>Zoe was prepared to retire as soon as Faelyn gave the suggestion. She tugged Corinne by the hand and retreat into the guest room, where the bath had gone cold. Doctor Noire intuit that their guests needed time alone to decompress, and turned her attention back to the patients in the commons.<br/>"It feels naive now to have been so enamored with the hospital as a center of curative science," said Zoe. "There is something amiss. There is a culture of shame, and deprivation, I sought to escape aboard the<em>Charlotte. </em>Whether the sentiment is mutual or not, you made an impression on Doctor Heinfroth in there, it was clear to me. She admires your autonomy, as women."<br/><br/>"Doctor Rehner shared a story with me, on the night ride," said Zoe. "About a wed woman from the Gundarak country I understood her to be infatuated with. She laid high praise on Emalia's mettle as a woman tested, and disdain for the circumstances of the old country. She and Heinfroth are old friends, and after hearing Heinfroth speak, I know they are cut from the same cloth."<br/><br/>"They will listen to you."