Listening to Danae make plans to survive the trials ahead drew Michelle from her penitence. "These are fisher-birds," she said. "I recall reading of a colony of birds, on the coast where gaspard crabs hatch by the millions. I imagined how it would tickle allowing the soft hatchlings to cross my hands, as they blanket the beach. And the gulls, I recall they are monogamous. Together as a pair they negotiate a quite complex gull society. It made me think of them as people, but they are dangerous in numbers."<br/><br/>Doctor Rehner seemed to catch the strain and try her hand at flirtation with Zoe. When this met with trepidation, Rehner instead engaged her in many questions. She was looking past Zoe, into the gathering of castaways, before Corinne could dicern the words through the noise of gulls.<br/><br/>"Are not the others traveling?" asked Rehner.<br/>"Lady Vine-Lott must recuperate from her ordeal," Zoe told her.<br/>"This is unfortunate. The rifle would be practical." Doctor Rehner considered this a long moment, but turned back to the work of overseeing the wagons loaded. "I thought they would hire to escort us."<br/>"Captain Baykur hurt her badly." Zoe was firm in this. "It has colored their opinion of you."<br/>But Rehner was not troubled by that, and waved it away as the fourth pine box scraped into a waiting wagon. "They will get in trouble on foot. We can leave a wagon for them."<br/><br/>Zoe was eager to return and share the good news with her party. But there was a moment, when she turned, where Doctor Rehner stopped her.<br/>"But I lived many years in these forests in Gundarak. We will be fine, you and me. I'll tell you the story of Emalia to pass the hours," said Rehner.<br/><br/>At last Zoe returned to share what she'd learned, but as Corinne had already overheard them, there was nothing new to it save Zoe's own color of words.<br/><br/>Margaret Hotspur gathered up a share of Aloisa's supplies and thanked her with the most brisk of embraces.<br/>"Would you show us to your camp?" she prodded Medb. "It behooves us to take our leave before the workmen finish."