[CENTER][h1][color=slategray]Ailsa Leisy[/color][/h1][/center]

Ailsa sighed, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. Her nagging suspicions had pushed her to do an autopsy of Ruyn, but everything'd come out as expected. There wasn't another shred of information to suggest that anything other than a doom lab had got to the shapeshifter, and Ailsa was both relieved and disgusted with herself. She'd allowed her scientific side to get the better of her, succumbing to the urge to probe further into the corpse. A white sheet had been draped over the shapeshifter's face so that the doctor didn't have to look up to see Ruyn's ashen-grey face looking up at her blankly. The way he looked so peaceful, so content as she cut away at his body reminded her of what she was doing--what she'd done.

[color=slategray][i]No more of this, Ailsa,[/i][/color] she told herself as she pulled the drape over the body for the final time. [color=slategray][i]No more pain and torture on your curiosity's behalf.[/i][/color]

Ailsa signalled the guards to take the white-shrouded body to the morgue and be readied for his funeral. She was silent as they carried the shapeshifter away, eyes cast down at her feet in shame as she remembered making the same request for the body to be carried to the clinic so that she could "examine" it. Taking a deep breath, Ailsa quickly showered and changed into a new outfit, looking into the mirror and practicing her smile for the wedding.

[color=slategray][i]C'mon, Ailsa. Smile. You can do this,[/i][/color] she told herself, poking the edges of her mouth with trembling fingers. [color=slategray][i]Just for the evening. Just until the stars come out and everybody retires to give the newlyweds some space.

Just until you can sleep and forget tonight.[/i][/color]