I hastily grab my vial and pocket it as safely as I can. I'll have to add a button. Since when did I become so obsessed with this thing?

I stare at the man as he introduces himself. His name evokes strange, menacing echoes. Then he reassures me and hands me a potion.

I look at it suspiciously. I've been doing some stupid things lately, from giving Edmund a parcel that I'd just found in my luggage, to drinking the purple potion. I know I should be more wary. But the main consideration in my mind is: what have I got to lose? Isn't my life a tragic joke as it is? So...

The potion has indeed a calming effect. I take a deep breath and stare at the saturnine features of Dr. Luong. "Are we colleagues?" I ask with an attempt at a smile. "I'm Dr. Aelfie Scylding. I used to practice medicine in London. But I lost my job... I kept falling asleep while on duty, having memory lapses. I ended up here, I don't even know why. I thought it was destiny's way of giving me some answers, and here I am, fill of new question!" I sigh and shake my head. And yet it seems that this mand might manage to help me?