<div class="floatright">(http://imgur.com/3hgsLSS.jpg)</div>When the woman made no reply to his inquiry, Malcyn was left with limited choices. He needed a space that was quiet and comforting, but also one where the maid wouldn't be too much out of place. Unfortunately, that ruled out the library. While not the most popular location among the wedding guests, it was still frequented by the occasional scholar, and by couples who wanted a smidgen of privacy.<br/><br/>If he had known the way, he'd have taken her to the infirmary, but with the staff being busy and the maid unresponsive he chose not to waste time. Instead, he steered the woman to his own room and sat her down in a chair while he poured her a mug of water and set it down beside her. He kept the door slightly ajar, just enough to let her know he had not locked her in. She could leave whenever she wanted; the last thing he wanted was to spook her.<br/><br/>Seating himself on the bed, he leaned a little towards the woman. "You have been very brave," he told her gently. "What is your name? I am Malcyn and I'm a doctor," he introduced himself, keeping his sentences short and his voice friendly. "I am here to help. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Often, talking about what they'd been through helped process the shock, but not every patient was the same and if all she needed was a bit of quiet, or a good, uninterrupted cry, that was fine with him as well. He didn't mind her tears; during his apprenticeship at Court, he had seen men and women fall apart, and he was used to keeping his composure, exuding a warm, if professional, presence.<br/><br/>He didn't tell her that everything would be alright. It would have been foolish. There had been a death, and nothing he said would undo that. So, instead of offering false sympathy, he had praised her courage. In this, he could be honest. Whatever the maid might think of herself, he felt that she had been brave in keeping her wits until she'd alerted the guards, falling apart only after the matter had been taken out of her hands.