The knife was still warm when Melissa hid it in her pocket and then stepped outside, ready as she'd ever be to go forth and steal. As soon as she'd gone out though, a tiny spatter of blood hit her in the face and made her blink as well as flinch. She had apparently chosen the worst possible time to come out, as in front of her a guy was being whipped viciously. The excellent view she had of the fresh welts, as well as what appeared to be a bullet wound, caused her stomach to flip over and she covered her mouth to keep from possibly throwing up.

Luckily, it diminished her appetite enough that she no longer felt the need to steal anyone's rations. Carefully she edged into the small crowd of people that had gathered to watch hollowly as the officer whipped the man. It seemed that she still had a few bandages left so maybe she could provide a minimal amount of help. So Melissa stood, watched the blood fly, and waited.