Walking out of the prison's front gate, Senshi was met by many huge buildings filled with children, adults, and more. The air was cold, and fresh wind swept through his hair.

  After walking outside the gate, the guards immediately closed it and left him alone with his items. He walked down a stone path surrounded by trees that led into the city of Scredmore, the smell of excellent street food and fresh trees circulating through his nose.

  ***

  "It's so pretty," said Senshi, standing in the center of a pathway. On both sides, there were many buildings and stands carrying food and other items.

  He walked past a stone building and rubbed his fingers across it; the distant voices of merchants calling out their wares blended with the laughter of children weaving between carts.

  A man hammered nails into a wooden sign while an older woman sat behind a stall, waving a fan and eyeing passersby. The smell of cooked meat mixed with the scent of burning wood was a sharp contrast to the filth and blood he was used to.

  He strolled, taking everything in. People moved past him in every direction, shouting, laughing, bartering. A merchant yelled about his rare spices; another waved freshly baked bread. A blacksmith slammed his hammer down, sparks flying from his forged blade.

  A kid ran past him, nearly knocking over a stack of wooden crates. The shopkeeper cursed, but the boy was already gone. Senshi just shook his head, a slight smirk forming.

  "So this is what life outside a prison is like.." Senshi muttered, taking it all in.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Hello, sir. I haven't seen you around here. Would you like to try out my dumplings?" asked a man in a chef uniform. He was pushing a cart with a massive plate of dumplings covered in parchment paper.

  "Dumplings?" Senshi asked, looking down at the food, confused but yet excited.

  "You've never heard of them? It's good food; you should try it! It's all free!" said the man, pulling the cart closer to Senshi. He slowly moved his hand down and grabbed a dumpling, pushing it into his mouth. He bit it and began eating it, his eyes immediately widening.

  "It's.. excellent, sir," Senshi said, wiping his eyes from the tears forming.

  "You're crying? Are you alright, sir? I've never had somebody cry over my cooking, " the man said, patting Senshi on the back.

  "Yeah, just thanks. I'll be on my way." Senshi said quietly as he began pulling his bag in a more stable position on his back.

  ***

  "Inn?" said Senshi, standing in front of a large wooden building with a large sign reading "Scredmore Inn."

  Senshi entered the building, and people immediately looked oddly at his clothing. The people around him whispered and mumbled, gossiping and chatting about his appearance.

  Senshi walked up to the front desk and met a lady with long blonde hair who was wearing a white button-up shirt and a black coat.

  "How may I help you, sir?" She asked, placing her hand on the desk and against her chin.

  "Is this a place where I can rest?" asked Senshi.

  The woman chuckled, answering his question.

  "Yes, this is a place where you can rest! Would you like a room?" She questioned.

  Senshi nodded his head, looking around the room.

  "Okay, we have the normal room, the sweet, and a royal sweet," she mentioned, looking down and grabbing papers from a drawer below the desk.

  "I'll just take a normal room," Senshi responded.

  "That'll cost you 400 Marc," she added.

  "Oh, I don't have any money on me," Senshi replied, fitting his hands into his pockets and not finding anything on him.

  "Oh? I'm sorry, then. It'll cost you to buy a room, " she confided.

  Senshi nodded his head and walked out of the building.

  "It seems I need some job of sorts. Looks like I'll have to sleep outside."

  ***

  Senshi walked into an open park and lay by a tree, dropping his bag next to him and tilting his head back.

  "The first night wasn't the best, but maybe tomorrow will improve. I'll have to earn money to survive out here."

  "Aww, poor Senshi!" said a familiar female voice behind the tree.

  Senshi slowly moved to the side to see where the voice came from.

  "Cindy?"