<em>The Dining Hall<br/>Aloisa, Corrine, Faelyn, Medb, Michelle, Zoe, Heinfroth, (Leaving: Danae, Margaret)<br/></em><br/><br/>"Many who come to reside here believed themselves at some time to be bewitched," said Heinfroth. "There is always a more rational explanation. The difficulty lies in breaking through those delusions. Doctor Noire's masks aid in that process by eroding the barriers which protect a damaged psyche. It's important that I and the other doctors be recognizable as authority figures, and for that reason we do not wear masks."<br/><br/>Heinfroth's fingers steepled around a sudden emphasis. "I would<em>prefer </em>you abide the dress code, if you wish to move among the patients. But seeing as though you've been through so much, I will not insist."<br/><br/>Aloisa wished to leave, Danae wished to leave, and this vexed the doctor. "When do you mean to leave?" she asked Aloisa.<br/><br/>The news Danae had been lashed did not surprise Heinfroth, or even seem to come as news. Nails grazed lightly beneath her jaw watching she and Margaret conspire, though if she suspected anything, it was dismissed. "Of course. Can you make use of your guest quarters?"<br/><br/>Faelyn's bold challenge came at her an unfamiliar beast. Heinfroth was not frozen before its jaws, but curious what might come of this. She was comfortable in her lair. "You don't share the belief that a woman with resources and means to spare has a moral obligation to help those in need, I take it. You'll forgive me if I don't consider this a fine philosophy."<br/><br/>"The robber baron of Gundarak taxed us for the gathering of firewood. Daughters were smothered in their cribs by parents who could not afford the punishment for keeping female children. Gundar's moral obligation was to provide for us, but instead he gilded his palace on our backs, and left us to starve. To<em>waste." </em><br/><br/>The memory of it stirred Heinfroth to stand, her hands firm upon the butcher block, and meet Faelyn's lean. So like a blooming rose, her dress unfurled to its full luxury.<br/>"When the people stormed his palace, he was torn to such pieces that no body was ever recovered. I will not regret my part in it."<br/><br/>"But we are here now. We are here, on this island, far from our homes, and by some luck the storms do not harry us on this rock. They come from Markovia, Captain Baykur would tell me. It is not safe to sail that way from here, but the island provides a stormbreak through which travel to Martira Bay is possible."<br/><br/><em>The Parlor<br/>Danae, Margaret </em><br/><br/>Margaret Hotspur played Danae's dangerous game without missing a beat. "Yes, if there's any discomfort we should change your bandages at once," she replied, and handled the door for a wounded Danae. She fulfilled the role of concerned healer until they were together in the open parlor, and the door behind them shut.<br/><br/>"So we're agreed, this is suspicious," said Margaret.<br/><br/>On the far side of the fireplace column, one of the masked orderlies stood in place attending to nothing. She tightened, confronted with the sight of guests wandering the grounds, and seemed to decide against a confrontation. Out through the farthest door she slipped, instead.<br/><br/>Margaret Hotspur heaved a breath. "I try to calm my heart, madam, but this place has me most afraid. I can only imagine the weight of it on these poor prisoners. But if we can do nothing else, we must find those we know are sane. Do you agree?"<br/><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/wLfYmxh.png)(https://i.imgur.com/ookCVma.jpg)