"Self-fulfilling prophecy," he said, his words accompanied by a shrug. "The consequence is the same, either way."

His tone was factual, clinical. Chilton often removed his personal emotion when discussing psychiatric matters -- a technique that had been hammered into him since his post-graduate days. That tone was more than a defense, it created a divide, a glass wall to better peer through. A tone that enabled impartial observation.

"You will find those cases, too. They are, frankly, inevitable."

Fated. But he refrained from using the word again, a small smile on his face.

"But I doubt these are they answers you had come for, Ms. Tenjou."

His acknowledgement was born from more observation. It was clear, to Chilton at least, that these matters weighed heavily upon her mind.