In that hour we spent walking in the outskirts, because running was too much for me, we met quite a few thugs on the way, with which Ban dealt in no time. After not eating for who knows how much, it's no wonder it was hard for me to even lift my feet. Now that we finally  left the rural area of the city, our journey continued in this unknown to me location. Entering through a narrow pathway you could immediately feel the difference between two places. Brimming with people carrying bags of coins and food, some also weapons, such as heavy axes and long swords, daggers and wooden staffs. Things I wouldn't usually see at home. Yet here I was seeing this one way street filled with new smells and crowds filled with unique characters. I felt relief knowing we left that criminal-filled space, but nevertheless overwhelmed with earthy odor emerging from crowds and spicy scents coming from dishes that are being sold.

"This is the main shopping district. Try to not get lost" Ban said with a breathy voice. Clearly exhausted from fighting all the burglars on the way.

"Maybe we should stop and buy something to eat? We've been walking for quite some time now" I said in a soft voice.

It might seem like I made such an offer out of consideration for Ban, but truth be told, after such a long and exhausting day, I couldn't continue going forward. My stomach was screaming for food. It was probably because he spotted my dragging feet, that he promptly agreed.

As I wandered, staring at all kinds of food, something caught my eye. It was a cake. Not having a chance to eat sweets on their birthday would make anyone crave for them. As I was looking at the cake, Ban came and stood beside me.

"I feel like this is the perfect time to tell you that...I am completely broke"

As I told him that, he didn't look surprised. Probably expected as much.

"Its fine. I'll pay for it. You can go and find an area for us to sit down at"

Finding such place in this people-filled area isn't an easy task. Especially when you don't know the place. While I was strolling around looking for an empty spot, a round mirror caught my eye. Looking through it, I discovered just how dirty I was. Even the blood on my forehead was still there. All of it was already dried up, so dry hands weren't enough to remove it. Not having any better way to change that, I approached one of the people looking at the mirrors the shop was selling.

"Hello. Would you have something I could clean my face with?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as I could. Such thing would be easy, if I went to school, but I was taught by my parents and their friends, who knew the language, but weren't the best at teaching it. Because of that some things are still impossible for me to do, like reading signs, for example.

As the middle aged man with a small beard and just slightly messy short hair looked at me, I could feel his judging look, but rather than ignoring or insulting me, he simply pointed to my right.

"Walking a bit in that direction you'll notice an alleyway to your left. There's a small faucet you can use"

Short and concise. With that he went back to looking at mirrors. Walking toward that direction for a few minutes I finally saw the alleyway. Using the water from the faucet I cleaned the blood from my face. The cold water woke me up, which made me recall the events that happened.