Stephen Maturin had been up all night, poring over a growing stack of obscure mediwizard texts, none of which offered any explanation for what had or had not happened to him. He had found the remains of the cocaine which Sara'd given him some while back -- thinking sourly of the occasion upon which it was given -- and this helped to distance him from natural fatigue and unnatural emotional strain.

Hearing Susan enter the dorm, he looked up to make sure it wasn't anyone he didn't want to see. It was, instead, a woman he really hadn't met yet, and she looked to be in quite a state herself. He cleared his throat.

"Madam? May I assist you in any way? You look to be ... not quite well."