"Why dabble with the affairs of the mortals, when the affairs of the daemons are much more tempting?" - The Prophecies of Light

It had been four days since the encounter at the gates to the City of Light, and Wonwoo was finding that he was adjusting to civilized life easily. The town was small enough to learn the streets quickly, but not so small that a stranger would be notable. That was something that Wonwoo was thankful for as he sidled up as close to the teamster, the burly man's attention on watering his workhorses and not at all on the slim young man. A quick look around told Wonwoo that no one was watching too closely, and a deft slice with his knife ring later, he walked away with the man's money in his pocket.

A smile found its way onto his face when he turned the corner of the street, and he let out a small laugh of exhilaration. He had always stolen things so as to live, but until being stuck in the wilderness for the last month, he had never realized how much he enjoyed the act itself. He honestly had no need to steal the man's purse; he already had the money that Hyesung had paid him, the gold coins split up and tucked inside hidden pockets in his clothing. But the adrenaline that now coursed through him? That wasn't something that he could get by just sitting in his room at the inn.

He once more marveled over the fact that the mercenary was happy to do just that.They had arrived in the town of Carsian only the previous afternoon, taking a room at the cheapest inn, but the tall fighter had not emerged from their room once. He was content to sit and read that journal, his wounded arm still tied up next to his chest.

The first thing that Wonwoo was supposed to do this morning was to find a healer for the other man. He had intended to do it, too! But as soon as he had laid eyes on the teamster, he knew he couldn't resist. Now, as he fiddled with his precious knife ring, twisting it about his finger in a nervous habit, he very much felt like whistling.

Not that he would. It would just draw attention to himself, and that, he did not need.

Approaching the door to the local mercantile, he hunched his shoulders down in an unconscious gesture, hiding his height. A thief who stood out was not a good one, something he'd learned a long time ago. He entered the shop with his hands in his pockets, trying his best to keep from looking at any of the merchandise. Looking meant wanting, and wanting meant fighting the temptation to steal it. Instead, he made his way to the counter, knowing that he needed to actually buy things at this particular establishment.

The young man who stood behind it would have been a bad thief, Wonwoo thought; his diminutive size paired with wide shoulders made him stand out too much. But he smiled a sharp-toothed smile at the taller man as he wiped his counter top with a rag. "What are you looking for?" he asked by way of greeting.

Wonwoo rattled off the mental list that Mingyu had insisted that he memorize, most of the items on the list things that Wonwoo didn't even recognize the names for. The mercenary said they were necessary, though, and so he ordered them. The short man told him that they would be ready in a few hours, and Wonwoo paid him half the agreed upon price.

He had already turned to leave when he realized that the shop-keeper might be the best person to ask about a healer. He was right, because the short young man pointed him in the right direction and a short time later, he found himself knocking at a small door.

"Come in!" a woman's voice called. He pushed the door open and entered, having to duck his head to keep from knocking it on the low frame. The room was small, square with a table and chair sitting near one wall and with shelves lining the others. Clay jars lined the shelves, and herbs hung from their roots to dry, but it was the room's sole occupant that caught his attention.

A woman in her middle years smiled up at him, a low chuckle escaping as she noted his hunch. "Well, you're the sneaky type, I'd bet," she said in amusement, then tossed her long brown braid back over her shoulder. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Uh, my friend," he began, set a bit off center by her attitude. Was she really a healer? "He's been injured, his arm, you see, and-"

"And where is he?" she interrupted, turning to grab a bag that hung from the chair and slinging it over her shoulder. Wonwoo sputtered for a moment, watching her place several small jars into the bag, but her glance in his direction reminded him that she was expecting an answer.

"At the inn. The one with a stave on the sign."

"Ah yes," she rolled her eyes as she turned back toward him. "I know the one. Got into a bar fight, did he?"

Thinking that it would be safer to say that than to admit that no, he'd been roughed up by the Marcher Lord's men, Wonwoo nodded his hea