Like drinking hard, hot coal, Amory sips at his coffee. A necessity for the snap of caffeine that will trudge headlong into the permeating fog of his mind. And today, that fog sends him bumping shoulder to shoulder into the next customer in line, Allison Cameron.

"Sorry," he declares, inconsequential propriety practiced for the ease of getting along with strangers. But he catches the side of Cameron's face in an accidental glance, a sight that sends him into a sudden pause. He knows her. Of course he knows her- she helped save his life. Strangely, there's a nervous clench in his stomach, involuntary, and Amory realizes he has stopped too long to casually walk away.

"Hi," he addresses her softly. Calmly.