Swamped

It occurs to you that this time magic surrounding you could help you identify the assailant, which is your best choice outside of capturing them. You look outside, and expend a little ether to look into the recent past.

And you manage to see them much more clearly. Unfortunately, they're wearing a hood and cloak. But you can clearly see them firing a blowgun, and the shadow under their hood isn't strong enough to obscure their beard.

Hopefully, they won't think to shave it. Even if they do, though, there's another thing that catches your eye before you dismiss the vision. Something hanging around their neck...

A breather mask. And it looks like a quality one. In the time you came from, masks that good are reserved for military use; going as far back as you have, it's unlikely anyone would be able to get a mask at all without military connections.

You feel like you know less now than when you started. And in the time you spent doing that, they've gotten further away. You've definitely got no chance of catching up without magic now.

So you might as well follow other leads for now. You help the unconscious doctor into his chair, though. No sense letting him lie down here. Maybe if you're lucky, he'll conclude the whole thing was a dream. Otherwise, you'll deal with it when he wakes up.

You make your way back to the artist, and give them the paper and pencil.

"Huh. Didn't really expect you to come back," they mutter. "You did make lying awake a little more interesting, though."

"I also grabbed a sleeping aid." You hold up the leaf. "It seems fairly effective."

The patient looks thoughtful.

"Put it on the table. If I hide this stuff, they might take it away. If I can at least get a good picture or two first, though, who cares if they confiscate it. I'll sleep when I'm done here."

As you put the leaf down, you see they've already started outlining a face. You can tell they're taking great care. But they pause, suddenly.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, just tryin' to get down my attacker. I know the face well enough. Thing is, there was something hanging around the bastard's neck, and I can't quite remember what it was. Looked weird, though." They grumble. "And I'm just havin' trouble laying it out until I figure out how that fits in."

Well. You have a guess, given what you just saw. But with breather masks being as rare as they are right now, you aren't quite sure how to explain it.