The following minutes were entirely silent. We walked through the emptiest streets, aiming to attract as little attention as possible, always careful to analyze the next alley before entering. By now, the sun was up, signaling the start of the day for most. Max will certainly not appreciate my absence from work today; by tomorrow, I might not have a job, or perhaps I already don't.

The small store we approached had no sign out front, surrounded by plants, statues, and various gardening ornaments. In Piety, where almost no one had the luxury of a garden, many still decorated their homes as best they could. Inside the store, uneven shelves held an array of products, from bags of food to bottles of plarito, a gooey green liquid used to season local dishes. Just thinking about its taste made my stomach churn – how could anyone enjoy such a delicacy? Or maybe it's just my trauma resurfacing; my so-called great childhood. Focus, the medicine.

Crouched behind the counter, Mario, the owner, was busy organizing little boxes containing many types of colorful sweets. He hadn't noticed us yet. I waited in silence for a couple more moments, my fingers lightly grazing the wooden counter. I`m not sure how long I`ve been waiting, but it felt like an eternity now, probably something like 20 seconds at most, but still, Clovis is probably right; I can't even handle a simple headache without whining around, good friend to have, I am.

"Good morning, Mario" The man bumped the back of his head, startled by my unexpected greeting. 

"What? Damn, it's you, kid," he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head trying to ease the pain I accidentally caused. "You're gonna kill me one of these days, scaring me like that."

"Really sorry to interrupt your peace, old-timer. Got any painkillers?"

Mario wasn't that old, but I liked teasing him, and he didn't always react well, which made it all even more fun. He was in his mid-fifties, probably; beard mixed in tones of black and gray, glasses resting on the tip of his nose, his green shirt hid behind the white apron, no smiles at all as he looked at me and realized the bruise under my eye.

"Wow look at this eye, what were you two doing? What did you get into this time, Leo?" 

"I swear it wasn't my fault this time!" I raised my hands in a gesture of innocence.

"Ain't that what guilty people always say?" Mario teased, now with a smirk.

"Pretty sure it's also what innocent people say. Can you please hurry? I've got a killer headache in here, quite a hangover."

"Aren't you too young to be boozing around? In my day, a little drink never hurt anyone. The kids these days don't really have it anymore..." 

"Although I`d love to hear your old person blatter, we`re in a bit of a hurry here, Mario."

"Oh, you mean the fact that the Official Guards are looking for you and some curly-haired friend. No wonder that friend is you, little Clovis," Mario said with a chuckle.

"What? Did they already come here to ask about us?" Clovis interjected, alarmed. "How could they?"

"Whatever you two were doing, you surely didn't do right, or else you wouldn't be caught, would you?" Mario lectured. "I'll get your pills, Leo, but lying low for a while, maybe even leaving the Escape, might be wise."

"Yeah, Clov here has some kind of plan, and I`ll hear it as soon as I`m not in pain."

The man left the room and, after a few moments, returned with two white pills and a glass of water in his hands. I eagerly took it from him and swallowed the medicine. After taking it, I left some coins on the counter.

"You`re a lifesaver, Mario. Thank you very much. And if anyone asks…"

"No need to say anything, kid, I won't say a word." he assured.

"Thanks again, really." As we left, the realization that they were onto us was unmistakable. Of course they did, it was in my home where two guards were taken down. I wonder what kind of made up story they will tell their superiors to justify two trained soldiers being surpassed by a single 17-year-old, that's funny, very funny.