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“How did Teufel arrive here at the hospital?” you ask as you follow Doctor Darwin back through the hospital, “We lost contact with him for quite some time, you see, and now we're trying to figure out what happened to him.”
“Hm. Well, we've done a little bit of digging ourselves. In order to properly treat his ailments, we needed to understand them, you see,” the doctor replies, “But there are still a great many missing details. We believe that Master Teufel was living at a small community far to the north. It had a very strange name, what was it... Ah, Ivory Shoulder. That was it.”
“Ivory Shoulder,” you repeat, glancing aside to Elle. She shrugs, but notes the name down regardless.
“Mm, yes. It doesn't seem to exist any more – razed to the ground. Master Teufel was found somewhat to the south of the community, wandering through the countryside in a state of significant confusion. He was behaving violently when some concerned locals managed to subdue him,” Darwin continues, “We're really very lucky that they spared his life and brought him here instead. He never talked very much about what happened, but...”
“But it was probably violent,” you finish for her. Darwin nods, giving you a sympathetic smile. “I see...” you continue, “I wanted to ask, did you try that art therapy with Teufel?”
“We tried, but it wasn't successful. He sketched out some things – I think they were supposed to be birds – but then he had a nervous fit. We had to restrain him, and... well, we haven't tried ever since then,” she sighs, “I suppose we might be able to give it another shot now, but nobody really wants to risk it. He's been quiet, peaceful. We don't want to change that.”
Quiet, peaceful – that's quite the change from the violent madman he was when he was brought in. “Did he ever mention the name Gideon Pale?” you ask next, “That's my father. I'm rather concerned that he might react poorly if I bring him up. Even seeing my face might be trouble.”
Darwin taps a pen against her lips for a moment. “I don't recall him ever saying the name “Gideon”, but for a time he did talk about a “great pale devil”. He would wake up in the middle of the night, claiming that it was outside his window, dancing in the moonlight. He would get quite worked up,” she shakes her head, “Truth be told, Master Pale, I can't predict how he'll react. Try not to push him too hard. If he starts getting agitated, or he seems distressed, please give him some space.”
“Of course,” you assure her, checking behind you as she leads you towards Teufel's room. It's at the end of a long corridor, not far from the main entrance. Should you need to leave in a hurry, it's a straight sprint towards the front doors.
It never hurts to check.
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