It was a calm, bright night. This night was totally different from the one yesterday, the shadowy, gloomy night where Hyōen had to bring down a stray wolf. It was a nightmarish atmosphere back then, but today felt like a relief, a comfort to the dark time that he passed. Wearing his tunic and headwear that looked like that worn in a desert, he had a very special duty tonight. This night wasn’t going to be spent playing around with food; no, he was in duty of guarding this caravan beside him. It was a huge collection of goods from all over Fiore and beyond, owned mostly - if one would dare say only - Augustus Tavalar. He, one man, made himself this huge fortune by travelling far away and merchanting with the foreign, tourists, barons, tribes and all the people that you can mention. It was no joke that every caravan that he brought across the roads contained something invaluable… the perfect target for thief and burglars. However, the merchant was right-minded; he predicted the need for this a long time ago as it befitted a cautious dealer. With his own money, he hired mercenaries and guardians to watch over and protect his goods with everything that they could afford during their job.

And now, Hyōen was one of them. He found the merchant putting up flyers and surprised the man from behind, quickly accepting the quest. It would be nice to guard such a treasure that this man held, and despite that he had known of the consequences of stealing it, he still wanted to at least see the treasure himself. It was a privilege, because the merchant was cautious as hell, and one wouldn’t just trust a simple guard to watch the placement of the greatest treasure that he held; brown sugar. It was an unlucky thing for the food-happy boy, because by the very view of it, his mouth watered the very first time that he saw it. It would be trouble to keep himself from tasting the sugar, but that wasn’t his job at all; he was going to guard it, not eat it. If he was so hungered for it, then what about the thieves out there? He had to keep up his parries at all times as he walked around the caravan, feeling slumber trying to sneak its way in. It had been about half the night since he arrived, and without Coda’s reminding peeps, it was difficult to keep his eyes open at times. However, when it got worse, he sought over to a cistern and washed his head before running back to his post so that nobody would have noticed his absence.

There were many ways into the caravan; many roads lead right to this area. It was quite the disadvantage as the thieves would have easy meanings of entering the goods, so Hyōen tried his best to keep an eye on the roads and around them, looking for any cocky bastard that dared approach the caravan. If the rumors were right, he would get company soon. Bad company… nobody would wish that in a situation like this. However, upon approaching the entrance to the caravan himself, he heard a noise… a sound coming from nearby. It triggered his senses like a button as he turned his head. Where did that sound come from? He couldn’t tell already, but it was close. Due to his thoughts earlier, he didn’t conclude it as any friendly sound; perhaps the rumors were true, after all. If thieves were gathered to raid the caravan, then he was the only one around with the task of stopping them. Hyōen didn’t know what to expect in a situation like that, but his curiosity begged him to investigate the situation. It must’ve come from the nearby caravan at the other side, and the more that he thought about it, the more it made sense. What if it was a competing merchant that wanted to exterminate his rivals? Doing it this way would be considered inhuman by many, though, so that also made it the more reasonable to check it out. His feet lead him to the caravan that was surprisingly lowly protected by only two guards; then again, he was the only one back at the other caravan, so he couldn’t blame them. Upon hearing the same noises grow in magnitude, he began sweating… maybe they were plotting. If he was spotted, then that would lead to many problems that he honestly wanted to avoid; having an angry merchant after you by sending mercenaries after your head, hitmen after your bounty and many more terrifying things was wished to be kept alien from Hyōen’s life. Upon approaching them gate, he heard words… specific words of a conversation between a lady and a male, a conversation that he didn’t expect from a caravan. They… they were giggling. A man began commenting his guest’s pretty eyes, orbs that shined more than the finest emerald. Upon hearing that, Hyōen’s head tilted confusingly; was this the big, bad plotting that he feared? Then afterwards, the lady chuckled rather cutely, and the blush from her cheeks could be felt everywhere. He wouldn’t be surprised if the guards around could feel the heat as well, emanating from the female like a sun. Ensured that it was none of his business, he simply returned back to his own caravan and continued his guarding…

Joggling around, Hyōen was suddenly met by another mercenary that stood right in front of him. The reason that he didn’t freak out was that this one was familiar; he had met him in the company of the client, so it must have been an ally. It turned out to be so as the male thanked Hyōen for his job and paid him his ransom, assuring to take his spot from that point on. Thankful for the reward, the Fire Mage found himself on top of a roof nearby the open area with the caravans, mumbling: “… That was boring.”

WC: 1008/1000