Q's face drains of colour. "I should have known," he says hollowly, clutching convulsively at his pen. "It was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy after all."
Q makes a visible effort to pull himself back together. "Yes. Well, I'd got quite a number of books and was having trouble managing them. There were a lot of people about and I ducked into a side street so I could put them away." He gestures at his pouch. "One of the bags tore and the books fell out. I picked them up and when I looked up, I noticed a door across the way. It said 'Libris' on in so naturally I went over to have a look." His voice trails off, and he stares at nothing, tapping his pen on the table.