Kaelen stepped out of the bounty office, his coin pouch heavy with freshly earned coins. Vessira eyed the bulging pouch, then glanced at the people passing by, some of whom were already casting curious looks in his direction.

"Kaelen, put that thing away," she whispered sharply. "You're going to attract thieves. Sure, I know you can handle them, but let's not invite trouble."

Kaelen chuckled softly, nodding as he tucked the pouch into his belt and adjusted his gambeson to cover it. "Alright, alright. No need to worry."

Kaelen wandered through the bustling city streets, letting the mouthwatering scents of food guide him. Soon, he found himself back at a busy merchant street, where vendors called out to passersby. His attention was drawn to an older woman tending a small stall, her table lined with meat skewers sizzling over a fire.

He approached her stall, catching her eye. "I'll take two, please."

The woman nodded and handed him two skewers. "Two silvers," she said with a smile.

Kaelen reached into his pouch with a sigh of relief, happy it was a simple transaction. He fished out two silver coins and dropped them into her outstretched hand.

"Wow," the woman remarked with a chuckle, eyeing his coin pouch. "You've got some heavy pockets there, huh?"

Kaelen smiled sheepishly, tucking the pouch back onto his tool belt. "Yeah, something like that."

As Kaelen made his way through the bustling crowd, casually munching on one of his meat skewers while Vessira nibbled at the other, he suddenly felt a slight tug at his tool belt. Without hesitation, he dropped the skewer and snatched the hand reaching for his coin pouch.

In one swift motion, he pulled the would-be thief in front of him. It was a woman, her sun-kissed skin hinting at a life spent under the desert sky. However, what truly caught his attention were the two cat-like ears perched atop her head, twitching slightly as she stared back at him, wide-eyed and caught red-handed.

She had a light crossbow strapped across her back, a saber hanging at her hip, and wore leather armor reinforced with steel plating on the front.

Kaelen tightened his grip, his voice low and firm. "What do you think you're doing, thief?"

The woman struggled, trying in vain to pull her arm free from his grasp. Her cat-like ears twitched nervously as she squirmed, clearly not used to being caught.

"See, Kaelen, I told you to stop showing off that coin pouch," Vessira chimed in from his shoulder, her voice filled with mockery. "Now look what you've dragged us into."

Kaelen shot her a sideways glance. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered before turning his attention back to the thief, his gaze hardening. "Now, what am I supposed to do with you?"

The cat-woman continued to wriggle, her eyes darting between Kaelen and the crowd, clearly trying to think of a way out of the situation. But with Kaelen's firm grip, it didn't seem like she was going anywhere.

The woman stopped struggling for a moment, as if she was about to explain herself, but then, in a swift motion, she drew her saber and thrust it toward Kaelen’s throat.

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Kaelen's instincts kicked in as he activated Enduring Defense. The blade connected, but it didn't even pierce his skin—it simply stopped dead. The strike was weak, clearly not meant to kill, just to force him to release her so she could make her escape.

Her eyes widened in shock as the saber clattered to the ground. Frustrated, she let out a roar. "What even are you? You didn’t even flinch at a sword to the throat!"

Kaelen remained unphased, his grip still firm on her arm. "You thought that would work?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with a hint of amusement.

"Just let me go, you brute! I’ll leave you alone, but my wrist really hurts," the woman pleaded, wincing as Kaelen’s grip remained firm.

Kaelen loosened his hold slightly but kept a watchful eye on her. "What do you think, Vessira? Should we take her to the bounty office for a little extra coin?" he asked, turning to the tiny figure perched on his shoulder.

The cat-eared woman’s eyes widened in fear as panic overtook her, and she began pulling at her arm even more desperately. "Please, no! Don’t take me to the bounty office. I can't afford to go to prison," she begged, her voice trembling. "I-I can do anything you want, just please, let me go!"

Vessira glanced between Kaelen and the woman, her expression neutral but curious.

Vessira smiled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Let her go. She seems a lot more sincere than those bandits from earlier, and if she comes back, you can just beat her up," she teased.

Kaelen nodded in agreement. He hadn't really planned on turning the woman in anyway. It would probably raise suspicion to bring in yet another "criminal" so soon after the bandits. "Alright," he said, loosening his grip fully and letting her go.

The cat-eared woman staggered back, rubbing her wrist with a sigh of relief. She looked up at Kaelen with a mix of gratitude and surprise.

"Wow, you really let me go. Most mercenaries only care about making an extra buck. I was prepared for anything to get out of that," she said, clearly surprised by his leniency.

Kaelen bent down to pick up her saber and handed it back to her. "I'm not a mercenary; I'm just a wanderer. But bounties can be pretty good money."

She nodded, sheathing her sword with a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, I thought it was a little strange for a sellsword to be walking around with a sand fae." As she turned to leave, a tail unwrapped itself from around her waist, revealing her non-human heritage.

"Well, thanks for not turning me in. I'll make sure to tell the others not to mess with you. See you around!" she called back over her shoulder before disappearing into the bustling crowd.

Kaelen glanced down at his dropped skewer and cursed under his breath. "Well, she was an interesting one. I wonder if we'll actually see her again." Vessira studied Kaelen's face for a moment, an annoyed expression crossing her features.

"Kaelen, haven’t you ever heard the saying: don’t fall in love with wayward city girls?"

He looked at the small woman, confusion written all over his face. "What are you even talking about? No one is falling in love with anyone."

She simply scoffed and turned away, ignoring him. Kaelen shook his head; the small woman sure was fickle. "Anyway, Vessira, show me to a place where I can get something to drink."

She begrudgingly complied and led him to a small tavern, he walked inside and sat at an empty table. and a short rounded woman came up to him. "What can I get for you today sir."

Kaelen looked at the woman and pondered for a moment. "Just get me any sweet fruit juice and some cheap meat." Sure, he had plenty of money, but that didn't mean he could just blow through it.

"Alright, then. Looking at you, I was almost sure I could drop a big tankard full of mead on the table," she replied with a smirk. "But I'll get that right out for you."

Vessira landed on the table and looked up at Kaelen. "You don’t drink, Kaelen? How come?"

Kaelen’s expression turned serious as he replied, "I’ve seen what alcohol does to a man, what it can make them do. I never want that to be me, especially now that I'm getting stronger."

Vessira looked at his serious face and shuddered; he really hated alcohol. The waitress returned with Kaelen's order, and he took a sip of the juice. It was sweet, and he loved sweets, having only had them a few times before this. He finished the juice and began eating the cut of meat, which was well-seasoned and juicy.

Kaelen called over the waitress once more, paid for his meal, and stood up. "Well then, Vessira, let's go find somewhere to sleep."