She was muttering curses under her breath, scowling. "You couldn't have waited just–I don't know–a month before throwing everybody into your 'game', couldn't you? Of course you're going to start some world-changing event right before I finish fixing the border!" Grumbling to nobody, the people she was referring to weren't anywhere nearby. Still, that didn't mean she was any less upset. After receiving the information Nerine was able to gather with the help of a librarian, Shiloh had been working tirelessly to get things ready. They were just about ready to reestablish the boundary wards when this hit. 'Irritated' was an understatement.

"Great, just great! The nerve of some people…I'll have to do this by myself, again like usual." For the time being she had to create a temporary one until the real thing was put in place. Having made some prototypes, she began tying them to form what could be explained as a roll of bandages on a still bleeding wound. It wasn't as good as she wanted, but it would have to do for now. Menomori wasn't easy to navigate, and she could feel her senses getting strained as the weakened barrier was releasing energy from the spirit realm. She had to be careful, one misstep and… As she was thinking the very thought, she fell in. Rolling down a hillside, she found herself thrust into what the people of Nisshoki called Kujishoku. It was one of Menomori's greatest secrets, though more on how to find your way in than being unknown in general.

Picking herself off the ground, she was greeted by a strange landscape. There was a forest here, but everything was somehow different. The plants here bore an ethereal quality to them, even the lighting and atmosphere was changed. It felt so very familiar, reminding of her of a time long before she began living her life in the shadows of society. She had fallen into the world of the fae once. As a child, she learned how to see danger before it came close enough to grab her. Frantic glances over her shoulder, distrusting anything that looked innocuously harmless. It was the first time she had been at death's door, and whether by providence or pure chance–she had found a way to escape. 

Hearing voices, she hid behind the dense foliage, holding her breath. With careful eyes, she caught a glimpse of two humanoid figures dressed in kimonos pass by. They resembled animals from the neck upward, yet walked upright and carried parasols and hand fans. Where there they going? When they were out of sight, she searched for the place she had fallen from. There must have been some magic at work, as she couldn't even retrace her steps. This was not an optimal situation to be in.

Jadira knew that going into Menomori would be dangerous and no doubt she would get lost. Especially since she had no previous experience being in here at all. However she knew a variety of tricks of getting around. First of all she made markings on rocks, bamboos, and even tied bits of rope around a group of bamboo. As long as she didn't forget to mark her way and always made sure she was around that marking then she would be fine. Not to mention she had also bought a map that is said to be able to direct the way in and out of the place. And of course she did also have compass with her that might help. Then again she didn't really know if that would help. But she also had enough rations to last her for a long time and she had researched how to survive bamboo forests. So she would at least be able to stay alive for a while. Hopefully. Suddenly Jadira slipped and fell somewhere. She was knocked out but when she awoke she was… well Jadira didn't exactly know where she was. It wasn't the place that she was at before. Where was she? She stood up and rubbed her head a bit. Besides a massive headache she seemed to be fine. Luckily. Jadira decided to wonder about, making marks as she walked. 

The plants were the same but they seemed more magical in a way. A sort of otherworldly look. This reminded her of the stories about the world of the fae. The fae. No, it wasn't possible! Or was it? The place certainly looked to be where the fae might go. If so then Jadira needed to promptly get out of there as soon as possible. She quickly made a small marking on one of the rocks then hide behind some plants. Jadira desperately tried to recall one of her nurse's stories about the fae. Her nurse had always told many stories about these mythical creates. She wished that she was older so she could remember those stories quicker. There was one story! She remembered it vaguely but Jadira had recalled the four rules about going into the fae world. It was a part of a story about the fae and their world and something about a prince. It didn't matter. What did matter was the rules that came included with those stories. First, don't eat anything. Jadira couldn't remember why but she knew that the consequences involved being trapped or something. Second, don't trust anything. No matter how innocent. This was easy to see why since fae were extremely dangerous yet incredibly beautiful. Third, don't look directly at the fae. Their beauty was so hypnotizing it could make you forget everything in your past life. Or at least that's what the stories said. Lastly, don't piss off or trust the fae.

They will most likely trap you, kill you, or harm you in some sort of way. She was ready to follow these rules and knew one thing. Jadira needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. How? She didn't really know but she could figure it out as she went. That wasn't something Jadira particularly liked doing but it was really the only option at this point. However she couldn't help but silently thank her nurse, Rose. If it wasn't for Rose's stories she might have been just wondering along on the path like some innocent little bunny then got murdered by beautiful wolves. That was a very odd analogy.

But there was no time for that. She needed to figure out a plan to get out of there as fast as possible. She then stopped herself from leaving her hiding place when she spotted two figures approaching. Jadira made sure that she didn't look directly at these figures and only saw them through her peripheral vision instead of through sight directly. Then she was about to move when she heard another noise. How many were there in this part of the forest?! Was there a party going on or something? If so then this would be a place where only the fae could really party without dying or suffering. Instead of a fae she saw Shiloh wandering around looking around. Jadira decided not to move. At all. And she avoided looking at Shiloh directly, in fear of the woman being a fae of some sort. 

Calm yourself down and think. That was the first thing she told herself internally. After observing a few more of the realm's unusual denizens, she had a better idea on how to blend in. She would need to craft herself a disguise for the time being, until she found her way out. Putting on a cloak, she took some soil from the ground and used it to smear a pattern onto a mask. Shiloh took a few artistic liberties with the design, but it should allow her to pass without being too obvious. With her disguise complete, she cautiously approached the path. Unaware that she was not alone, she slowly walked down the well-traveled road towards any signs of civilization. No matter what, she must never lower her guard.

It was painful to use her aura sight here. Everything was too saturated with this world's energy for her to make sharp distinctions. As much as she relied upon it, she had to close it off. She would have to resort to using it in short bursts to prevent herself from being overwhelmed. The further she walked, the more she noted a few discrepancies which disproved her initial idea of where she was. The signs were written in some unknown tongue, not even vague recognizable. Symbols that she couldn't comprehend and made her eyes hurt when stared at for too long. This forced her to move on. The sound of a sparrow in the dead of night made her stop in her tracks. Turning to inspect her surroundings, she noticed a black dog behind her at a distance. There was something off about that dog. Its body was more akin to shadow, and it had glowing white specks for eyes. She waited to see what it would do, but it did not move. Hesitantly, she turned to continue walking. As she did so, she heard the padding of footsteps too. Glancing behind, it was that dog again, at the same distance.

Immediately she felt a pit of anxiety form in her stomach. This felt so oddly familiar, she was sure she had heard about a similar situation before. Where did she hear of it? It was one of those folktales she had overheard, when visiting Nisshoki to see her husband. There was a story about a man who was walking alone after dark, and he heard a sparrow's cry. Finding it odd, he soon discovered he was being followed by a large black dog. That beast was an otherworldly creature called an okuri-inu. This sort of being was known to haunt remote roads and mountain passes at night, and had several odd characteristics. The translation of its name was 'escorting dog', for if one was followed by it no other monsters would dare approach. However should the followed traveler trip or stumble, the okuri-inu would rush forward and devour them. Being followed by such a beast was a dangerous way to begin her journey. Despite the 'protection' its presence offered, it was a double-edged sword. She would need to reach a destination soon if she wanted to shake it off.

Jadira stayed silent as she watched the woman use a disguise. That was a clever idea. She herself needed some sort of disguise as well. The first best thing to do was to use one of the spells that she had been practicing. As quietly as she could, she used her magic to make herself invisible. The spell of invisibility. Jadira would have used her polymorph spell but she wanted to keep her stuff with her as much as possible. That was harder to do when you were an animal. As for the invisibility… Whether or not this would actually work was uncertain. For she didn't know if their power could see into other spells or not. 

She was not that well informed on fae. All that she knew of the fae and the fae world came from stories. Jadira had seen that some of the fae were wearing kimonos. Then she changed out of her armor into a kimono in the hopes that she might be able to blend in. That way if the invisibility spell failed then she would still be able to blend in naturally. Or at least that's what she hoped. Jadira had gotten the kimono from the local villagers when she had helped them. Once she was done changing she stuffed the rest of her clothes and armor into her backpack. Then she decided to steal Shiloh's idea of the disguise. She reached and pulled out a noble's cloak along with a mask then put the two items on. Her mask was a beautiful white fox mask that covered the majority of her face. Unfortunately she didn't have any other masks. This was just one that she had picked up as a souvenir. She didn't know if this would make her stand out or not. Jadira dearly hoped that it wouldn't. 

Jadira then began to follow Shiloh and was walking right next to her. Though Shiloh shouldn't be able to see her unless she was using some sort of magic. So she was a little less worried. But there was still a chance that this woman was a fae herself. Jadira was still on guard and alert. Then they came upon signs that had strange symbols. Jadira didn't even bother with them since she already felt as though anything in the fae world is probably something she wouldn't understand. Eventually Shiloh moved and and Jadira continued on with her. One of the main reasons she decided to stick with the woman was because of safety. The woman was wearing a disguise so it was obvious they were in the same boat. It was better to stay with somebody that might be an alley then stay alone.

Then Shiloh turned around to look behind her. Out of curiosity Jadira turned around too and saw a black dog that had strange white dots for eyes and looked as if it was part shadow. Then Jadira realized who this dog was. Or what it was. Okuri-inu. This creature was known as the escorting dog. The reason was because it would follow travelers and keep monsters away. But at the same time if a traveler tripped or was delayed then it would come and eat them up. Jadira almost preferred the monsters. She then started to walk a bit quicker. This time as she walked she was focused on not tripping over her kimono. Why didn't she just use a cloak? Or a noble outfit? Those were much easier to deal with than the kimono was. 

It was a slow, tedious journey out of what felt like an endless forest. Soon she began to see floating blue flames drifting on the breeze. Their eerie light added to the otherworldly atmosphere. Was she getting close? Every few paces she looked behind to see if the okuri inu had kept its distance. Soon the dirt widened, and became a stone path. Stone lanterns worn by time sat along the roadside. Some broken, some still standing. The trees thinned out and she saw something like a gate in the distance. It must be–it was so tall that she could see its outline all the way from here.

All this time she hadn't seen a single soul. In a way it was…comforting. She didn't mind being by herself. The okuri inu didn't count. It would leave once she found a way to fulfill its conditions. The gate was now a looming crimson arch, made of pillars that must have been enormous trees prior to being cut down. It really did resemble the structures in Ataiyo, but older. Touching a hand on the nearest pillar, she turned to the okuri inu. Giving a bow, she gave it the Ataiyan customary thanks for its escort. It stopped for a while, then turned to vanish. Once it was gone she heaved a sigh and leaned against the pillar. "I can't believe it worked…" She was still uneasy to pass through this arch. Magic here was certainly different and unpredictable. Who knows what would greet her on the other side? Despite her reluctance, her desire to return home was stronger. So she stepped through.

Before her was the sounds of a bustling town. Tall tiered buildings with upturned corners, bright strings of lanterns in red and blue, flags of that same incomprehensible script on the signs earlier. Everything was oversaturated with color, and the sudden increase in noise made her cover her ears. There were many strange beings walking about, going about their business. Some didn't even look humanoid. Was this the rumored city? Disappointed, she was prepared to go back the way she came. This was farther from where she needed to go. Unfortunately the crowds were thick, and she was soon swept along. With other masked creatures milling around, she blended right in.

Finally escaping the flow of the moving people, the density lessened when they came to a bridge. It was a grand one, spanning what looked to be a starry river. There were children running about, even playing. All of this seemed so surreal. No matter how she looked at it, wasn't this just like a human city? 

Nearby a pair of children with horns were flying kites in the shapes of dragonflies and rainbow birds. "Look, mine's flying higher than yours!" "No it's not!"  "Is too!" They bickered, and one of them decided to fix that by climbing up onto the bridge's railing. "Mika–wait!" One of the girls cried out. Just that moment, the other girl lost her footing and slipped–falling into the river! As the remaining horned girl looked on with eyes wide, suddenly someone else dropped into the swirling waters. Shiloh had a feeling something like this would happen, and as soon as the girl's foot moved when it shouldn't have, she broke into a sprint. Leaping off the bridge shortly after the girl disappeared below the water's surface, Shiloh dove down and grabbed hold of the girl before she sank further.

Up on the bridge a small crowd was gathering at the sight of the commotion. The other girl was panicking, eyes fixed on the frothing water. Then, a masked face breached the surface, washed clean of the dirt markings Shiloh had painted on before. Holding tight to the unconscious girl, she kicked to the closest riverbank. The girl who had seen her playmate fall dashed off to find someone as a very waterlogged rogue hauled both herself and the child onto solid ground.

The forest seemed to go on forever and forever. Perhaps it was meant to be some sort of endless forest to cause misery to any human? She wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Eventually they came upon blue flames in the distance and a widened path. So the forest wasn’t a trap of some sort. Soon they approached a tall crimson arch that would shame any arch in Adeluna. Even though Jadira had seen few arches herself. But this was created by the fey so she didn’t doubt it was somehow better. She couldn’t help but touch the pillars and admire them. Then she looked at Shiloh and copied her movement towards the okuri inu. The okuri inu paused and then left. Jadira was relieved but could tell her traveling companion was just as relieved. It was nice, having somebody to travel with. However Jadira couldn’t help but feel guilty. After all Jadira was invisible and had a great disguise, while Shiloh only had a disguise to assist her. Yet throughout their travels Shiloh had been helping Jadira without even realizing it. Giving Jadira ideas on how to survive and showing what worked for this world. But she hadn’t done a single thing in return for this free help. In fact Jadira had been deceiving the lady the entire way through making her believe that she was alone. Perhaps she would have the opportunity to make up for deception. Jadira followed Shiloh into the town. The town itself was incredible!

Everything seemed as though it had been lit up with color and hundreds of unique people were bustling about going on with their day. This was certainly not what she was expecting from a fey town. Jadira had heard that the town was more of something you would imagine the elves to live in but more natural. She was impressed though despite the town not being what she expected. The people here seemed to have a sense of order. There were even sounds of children playing. What came from the stories Jadira had heard, it sounded like the place was beautiful but cruel and twisted. However now she could see with her own eyes that it wasn’t as black and white as that. To put it simply, they weren’t monsters to beware of. They were people just like anyone else. Jadira felt shamed that she had thought of them any other way. It was evident that it was herself who was in the wrong for thinking such a way. They were powerful and looked different, but that didn’t mean that the stories about them were entirely true. That they were all cruel and ready to harm others. It was clear to her now that she was wrong and it pained her to know this. However there was nobody to see her shame or to see her mistakes. She would improve upon this but she would also never admit her own faults in her viewpoints. For she had never acted upon them. And she hadn’t held strongly to them once she saw the truth. Therefore Jadira would never admit it outloud or to any person. Ever.

That she could be assured of. Jadira realized how crowded the streets had gotten and remembered the fact that she was invisible. So she moved out of the crowds to the edge of the street and did her best to avoid bumping into anybody. By doing this however she lost track both of where she came from and where Shiloh, her unknowing guide had been. Jadira kept moving forwards through the crowd. Eventually she heard a splash and a scream. Jadira moved as fast as she could towards the sound and came across a woman with a child trying to haul them onto the ground. Jadira rushed over to the woman, losing her invisibility spell in the process. She then helped pull the two out of the water. Jadira inspected the child to make sure she was fine. The girl was breathing and had opened her eyes. Jadira then backed away from the child and woman. Her costume was still on so she wouldn’t stick out terribly. However now Shiloh could see her. But she doubted that the woman knew that Jadira had been following her this whole time.

“This child seems to be fine.” Jadira stated. 

Pulled up out of the river, Shiloh coughed as her lungs greedily sucked in air. The horned girl was fine thankfully, though shaken, and a small crowd was gathering up above along the bridge. Recovering from that rather rash decision, her breathing normalized. Hearing a female voice she lifted her head to see someone with a fox mask. Probably another of Kujishoku's denizens. She had her aura sight shut off up until now, and never knew she had been followed by more than an okuri inu. Rubbing her temples, she took a few minutes to acclimate her senses to the sheer amount of energy in the environment. It was still overwhelming, but less oppressive as in the forest. While the three of them were on the riverbank, a horned man pushed through the crowd and came running with the horned girl who had dashed off earlier.

"Mika! Mika are you alright?!" He stopped at the sight of Jadira and Shiloh, noting that both Shiloh and Mika were soaked. Fists clenching, he stormed down and pulled Shiloh by the collar. "What did you do to her, huh?!" Anger flashed in his eyes, as the girl following him quickly tried to hold him back. "Big bro wait! They didn't do it! I saw them jump in when Mika slipped, I swear! Then I ran to get you!" The oni looked at the girl's pleading eyes, and then Mika called out to him. "I'm sorry big bro…I'm ok, please don't be mad at them." The oni was still upset, but both girls finally convinced him. Letting go of Shiloh, the horned man relented. He looked young, around his late teens or early twenties. Though for the lifespan of non-humans it was much more difficult to gauge.

Rubbing her neck and shoulders, she was preparing to walk away when the man stopped her. "Hey you, hold it right there." Walking over, a look of suspicion was written all over his face. There was something in the air that made him sense something was off. He didn't know what it was, but he wasn't going to let this stranger go. "Who are you? You're not from here, are you?" 

This…was the exact situation she had been trying to avoid. Normally she would simply turn a blind eye and move on, but the girl was going to drown. She wouldn't be able to sleep in peace for the rest of her days if she knowingly walked away from something like that. Helping others meant you put yourself at risk, and let yourself be known. If she had left the girl's side a little sooner or if he had arrived a few moments later–Shiloh would have had enough time to slip away and disappear through the crowds. At the moment he wasn't paying attention to Jadira, and any scent of an outsider he immediately attributed to the blank-masked figure he had roughly grabbed moments ago.

Shiloh was running through everything she knew to come up with a way to end this confrontation as soon as possible. Turning tail to run was out of the question, he would give chase. She couldn't risk speaking either, lest he confirm that she wasn't one of them. It was now that she realized that jumping into the river had likely ruined the dirt markings, and had blown her cover. The course of action she ultimately chose was to play dumb–and pretend she was mute. Moving her head and making gestures, she gave the impression of some confused being who probably had no mouth. Hopefully the horned man would grow frustrated enough to just leave, and then she'd make a break for it before he had another epiphany.

The child was safe and alive. Jadira had just finished wringing out the water from her sleeves when a man with horns approached the little girl. Apparently the little girl's name was Mika. Suddenly the young man grabbed Shiloh by the collar and began shouting at her. Jadira took a half step forwards before the little girls explained what had happened to the apparent older brother. Jadira was relieved that the conflict had been quickly solved. A crowd had been gathering and the last thing they needed was more attention their way. After all she was fairly certain that nobody would like the idea of outsiders entering their town. Especially after the almost drowning scene. Jadira was glad the child was alright but it was unfortunate that things turned out this way. Yet, Jadira couldn't help but notice how protective the older brother was. It was incredibly sweet. Jadira herself knew what it was like to have an older sibling but hers would have never gotten so protective like how this older brother was. She couldn't help but smile underneath her mask. Thank goodness nobody could see through her mask. The white fox mask covered her entire face so nobody could see her.

Jadira had turned to leave with Shiloh when suddenly the man spoke up again. What did he want now? Then he began to question Shiloh and accused her of not being from here. This wasn't good. However it seemed that the man was only focused on Shiloh and not at all focused on Jadira. Jadira, if she wanted to, could easily slip away and leave. But Jadira already knew that she didn't have it in her to leave Shiloh. That would have been incredibly wrong. Not to mention Shiloh had, albeit unknowingly, helped Jadira in so many ways. With the idea of a disguise, the direction to go, and even when the black dog had appeared. If it wasn't for Shiloh, Jadira would have never been able to get this far. In addition to all of that Shiloh had just demonstrated how kind hearted and sweet she was by saving the little girl. On top of all that it was clear that they would need each other to get out of here if they were able to get out of this mess. 

Jadira desperately looked around for some way out. Then her eyes landed on Mika, the little girl before. On Mika's kneecap was a scratch that she must have aquired when she tripped and fell. So Jadira moved over to Mika. Jadira opened her bag and quietly ripped a long piece of cloth from one of her other garments. Then Jadira tied the cloth around the girl's leg. Next Jadira picked up Mika as if she was a princess and carried her over to her older brother. 

"She is injured from the fall." Jadira said as smoothly and elegantly as she could.

Jadira was hoping that the man's overprotectiveness would come out and overtake his suspicious attitude. After all his little sister was injured. She would no doubt need a healer of some sort. And the way that Jadira bandanged the girl's kneecap made it look as if it was a lot worse than it actually was. If they were lucky the man would focus on his little sister and her injury instead of them. Jadira then handed the little girl over to the older brother. 

Unfortunately another sign betrayed Shiloh, her scent. The water had seeped into her clothes, and damp clothing had a way of emitting whatever smells it had absorbed earlier. Be it sweat or blood, it would be magnified. The horned man glanced at his sister, still holding Shiloh by her neck. "Brother…I'm ok." Mika put on a brave face, trying her best not to show that it hurt. The delay was just long enough for him confirm that his suspicions were not unfounded. His eyes softened for a moment when he thought of his sister, but hardened into a fierce glare. Throwing Shiloh to the ground, the rogue hit the dirt and her mask was dislodged. Immediately she kept her head down and tried to block her face with her hair, to no avail. The commotion had drawn another crowd and with her cover blown the man shouted, enraged. "Who are you?! Answer!"

Her body was shaking, her arms were locking up just to keep herself together. It was over, it was all over. Voices swirled around as they whispered from all directions. "A human! It's a human!" Raspy voices pointed. "How could a human enter here?" "Look, look!" Curious onlookers swarmed closer. Too many voices, too many hands–pulling, pushing, drowning her beneath them. Eyes everywhere, staring at her. The noise. The sound! It was too much! Grasping at her ears, her breathing became ragged as the air around her grew thick with an unnatural aura. The skies above began to turn turbulent, and gasps of alarm spread throughout the people as heads looked up at the sky. The horned man began to back away as the others began to scatter. Mika clung onto her brother as she buried her head into his robes. "Brother I'm scared! What's happening? Why is the sky angry at us?"

'ANSWER!' Shiloh shut her eyes as she tried force the memory back down. A memory of being surrounded, cornered, accused. Voices shouting at her to speak after pointing fingers and hitting her with sticks. Strangers were everywhere looking down, their eyes boring into her skin. That fear of not being able to escape. Guards with cold eyes and grim faces. But when she heard the child's voice, it drew her back.

Her breathing slowed, her heart then followed. The world was no longer spinning and the air began to clear. The ringing and the sounds were fading. The sky too had calmed, and Shiloh had come to her senses. Her head downcast, she slowly moved to pick up her now scratched and damaged mask to put it back on. With a small dagger, she then wrote into the dirt two symbols: ' 無名'. 'Nameless'. Shiloh then rose and bowed her head. "I cannot give you my name, for I am misfortune." 

Jadira sighed, her plan hadn't worked like she hoped it would. In a matter of seconds he had attacked Shiloh again and a crowd quickly formed. Jadira put the child down and headed into the crowd. She did her best to stop the crowd from overwhelming Shiloh. Jadira shoved parts of the crowd away and placed her hand on her sword hidden underneath her kimono. Jadira was just about ready to start fighting the onlookers when suddenly she felt an aura around them. Then the crowd pointed to the sky which had turned dark with a storm. She herself was incredibly surprised at this power. Jadira hadn't ever seen anything like it. The crowd dispersed quickly with the exception of the horned man and the little girl. Jadira looked to Shiloh who seemed to be rather upset. However Jadira understood that a stranger like herself would only make the situation worse. So she instead stood ready in case they decided to attack. However it didn't take too long for Shiloh to recover and to respond. Jadira let her respond then looked to the horned man. 

"I suggest you take your sister to a healer instead of blaming those who saved her." Jadira said harshly. 

To put it simply Jadira was extremely angry at how he treated Shiloh after it was made clear that Shiloh saved his little sister. It was one thing to be overprotective. It was quite another to be an angry fool for no good reason. Jadira stood nearby Shiloh but not too close. After the incident she wanted to give Shiloh her space. However she didn't want to let anybody attack Shiloh like that again. She would be ready if there was another attacker. It didn't matter that Shiloh caused the storm. It didn't matter that Shiloh seemed more powerful. In that moment Jadira had failed to help somebody who seemed to need it.

Thankfully, Shiloh was able to scare them away. However the fact was that Jadira had moved too slowly and had been indecisive which led to a crowd overwhelming someone. To not be able to save somebody was something she would not accept. Luckily there was a mask on her face to hide all of these emotions going through her. Jadira then realized that she hadn't gotten through the crowd unscathed. She checked her arms and realized that she had acquired some new bruises. However there weren't any serious injuries. Jadira's focus turned to Shiloh who had probably received the worst of the crowd. 

"Are you injured?" Jadira asked keeping her voice calm. 

Jadira figured that after this it would probably be best for the both of them to retreat. Every town had guards who would probably be here in a moment. And after that incident with the crowd it seemed like a good idea to avoid a fight.