Hearing a labored breathing, Jiehong did not connect the sound right away to Zan. When he did, he rolled over and brought himself to his knees so he could check on his friend.

Jiehong saw Zan still asleep. Yet his chest breathed deeply in before wheezing out. Jiehong did not know what to think of this development. Did Zan have an infection or virus?

"Don't worry. He is fine," a voice said from nearby.

Seeing who it was, Jiehong saw a younger girl approach from through the room. "Hi. I am Mimsy," she said. "I'm Marsha's daughter. The nurse who helped your friend from last night. She is back at her booth in the square, but she instructed me to keep an eye on your friend's condition. And to help you with anything you needed before you were all set."

"That is very kind of your grandmother," Jiehong said. "You said his condition is stable?"

"Yes. You've slept nearly half the day. Earlier in the morning before she left, my grand-Marm checked on him and said he is stable. He should wake up soon. Whatever sickness he was fighting seems to be over. Just keep an eye on him for the next bit and let us know if we can do anything, okay?" Mimsy said.

"Absolutely! I wanted to express my gratitude once again at your help. It really did save us!" Jiehong said, even as he knew he couldn't actually point to anything the nurse had done as being pivotal to Zan making a recovery. She likely did help. But for all he knew, Zan had fought the sickness off himself as her supplements did hardly anything. Maybe or maybe not that was what happened -- Jiehong did not know. But he knew it was only polite to thank her and her grandmother regardless for their kindness and treatments.

Mimsy gathered up some of her grandmother's goods and said she was leaving on her rounds. Jiehong waved her off and kept close to Zan, watching his every move, thankful evermore for the kind actions of strangers.

Just as predicted, Zan woke up.

Slowly opening his eyes, he barely could hold them open. Several times he opened only to close. Then opened again.

"What happened?" Zan asked.

Jiehong told Zan but he knew he did not hear him. He nodded but his eyes were far too hazy and ill-focused. He went back to sleep.

Feeling great relief, Jiehong rested himself against the mudbrick wall, a nearby window carrying the smell of a nearby outhouse up. Hardly pleasant, but Jiehong mustered through. He did not want to risk leaving Zan alone. Of course, Mimsy said the city was safe. I am sure there's no harm in searching the city real quick for any sign of Winters and his men.

He couldn't bring himself to leave Zan alone. Every time he left the room, he was soon back, telling himself he wanted to keep an extra vigil on him, just in case...

"You're still here? Goodness!" Mimsy said, returning from her rounds a few hours later.

"I am over-protective. What can I say?" Jiehong said, laughing it off.

"Please," Mimsy told Jiehong. "Your friend is fine. Looking him over, I see nothing wrong with him. Get up and stretch your legs. Find a place in the city to eat and have a time. If you don't want to spend coin, in this building's basement, there is a gaggle of ladies who do nothing but cook. They will gladly give you a meal and some ale if you're of age."

Jiehong was tired. Sure, and though he wanted to stay true by Zan's side, Mimsy was right. He had been faithful to protecting Zan all day. It was time for him to stretch and break. He really should try to find Winters, he told himself. Besides, Mimsy is a nice girl. Zan will be safe with her.

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"Okay. I'll go out for a bit. I am trusting him with you. I will return soon," Jiehong told Mimsy.

"Good! Your friend is lucky to have you. But you still need to make time for yourself. His condition might be strange, but my grandmum knows a stable person when she sees one. Go on! Grab a drink and a meal, see the city, then come back and keep a hold of your friend with a nice book. The building has quite the collection, you know."

Practically being nudged out the door, Jiehong stepped into the midday air. Breathing too deeply of the city air to think much more of it than 'ew!' Jiehong told himself he would get used to the smell. Venturing into the city and searching for better smells, Jiehong thought about where he should go.

Thinking to himself, Jiehong said, distracted and in bits: I guess Winters would be at wherever the mayor or main barracks for the city is... We had nearly a hundred people in our party, so I will surely bump into someone soon enough. Once I find a guard, I should ask him where... crap! A tavern! I can drop by for a drink. Just one...

Though only midday, the tavern was in full swing. Local soldiers, town guards, and local men and women took up the space. Most seemed to be taking advantage of the tavern's afternoon deals for their work meal break. That made sense, Jiehong thought. Otherwise, Hope-Ridge had a distressing number of alcoholics.

A busty barmaid brought him to an end chair tucked away into a corner of the bar. Packed around him, jostling against his back and side once in a while due to how many people were crammed into the establishment, Jiehong sat down, but uncomfortably, his large stature hardly helping the situation.

"What can I get for you today?" the barmaid yelled. Even then, she struggled to make herself heard over the din of talking and bardly singing.

"Give me a pint of your finest ale!" Jiehong yelled back.

"WHAT?!"

It took a while and a lot of screaming, but Jiehong eventually got his order in. A pint of local ale and a half-chicken breast seared and sauced, seasoned, and with the house gravy. The chicken came with a side of steamed vegetables tossed with salt and pepper then coated with a special fungal-based cheese crumble. With the midday deal in effect, Jiehong paid only half price, which was a few copper pieces.

Jiehong waited for his meal and drink.

As he waited, the voices of the merry drowned out even his own thoughts. The singing bards nudged his worries to the side. To his back, people; to his side, people; directly ahead, wall, only a poster alerting of local attractions. Crammed in as he was, Jiehong did not feel enclosed or trapped. He felt happy.

Crammed tightly in, resting on an unusually comfy stool, pleasant odors of smoke and mirth filled the air. It allowed Jiehong to forget himself, his worries, his future, and how his present actions effected the future. Sometimes, it was a lot to handle. Here, in the corner of a tavern he had never been to in a town he never had even heard of before, he was a nobody. He knew nobody. And no one knew he or his agenda or of his plans, so much as they could be called plans. He was but one adult-looking and acting person among many in an adult-only space.

He let his eyes rest for a moment, giving himself to the sound. He breathed deeply only to release it slowly. He thought of his parents and why he fought. He repeated his breathing many times, each attempt a more fruitful attempt to calm himself and accept the ebb and flow of where he was.

He opened his eyes and saw his ale pint.

Not seeing the barmaid around to thank her, Jiehong would have liked to thank her in person for bringing him the drink. It was fine, though. The barmaid had much to do and Jiehong merely one customer among many. He would thank her on his way out.

Taking deep swigs of ale, Jiehong felt immediate relief. It quickly spread through his body, warming and numbing him better with each subsequent pull.

Highly botanical, though the drink was bitter, Jiehong continued drinking. An aftertaste built in his mouth. What was once a bitter flavor turned into a pungent and sweet flavor. By the time the barmaid dropped off his meal, his drink -- nearly gone -- vanished once the barmaid offered him a refill at half-price. He gladly accepted and thanked her heartily.

Jiehong hardly needed the utensils which came with the meal. He was so famished, he only used the fork, and only to pick up the largest chunks of the meat, which was so tender, he hardly had to apply pressure to the fork to shred the meat. Jiehong filled with fork not unlike how he filled a shovel and tossed every big bite into his mouth with abandon. Wiping his face with a community wet cloth, surprised at how pleasant smelling the cloth actually was, despite its high and varied usage among strangers, Jiehong returned the cloth to its liquid filled resting bowl.

Jiehong wondered outside feeling the decrease in sound as a transition from one world to another.

So quiet, here... he told himself as he walked down the street. While the ale had clouded his mind some, he remained cogent. He also remained unperturbed in his steps.

Quickly finding a guard, Jiehong asked where he could find the mass of people who had recently come to town. Meaning, Colonel Winters.

The guard, however, gave him a funny look. "I don't understand what you're talking about."