Hirum Lindt waved at the city guard as he reentered the city carrying a dead, gutted deer across his shoulders. He had spent the last two days in the forests outside the city gathering useful plants, and was returning now to deal with the deer he had shot that morning.

He walked to his cave, hanging the deer on the hook hanging from a tree just outside of the entrance. He unlocked the door he had built to his living area and entered, throwing his backpack on the table just inside the door. He opened it and made several stacks of the things in it, one for medicinal plants, one for foods, and one for his sleeping mat and other hunting supplies, which he threw his crossbow and quarrels on top of. After that he grabbed an empty bucket and a set of knives and, after starting a fire in the middle of the room, went outside to deer hanging from the tree. He skinned it, carried the hide inside and hung it on his tanning rack, then came back outside and cut the meat from it, placing it in the bucket as he did it. He carried the bucket full of meat inside to his dehydration/curing room and cut it in strips, laying it in trays and lighting a fire under them.

He walked outside and took the remains of the carcass down, throwing it into a burial pit behind the cave and throwing several scoops of dirt on top of it to keep it from stinking. When he got back to the entrance he saw Jek Heiys standing there. "Hello, Hirum," he said. "Did you get anything for me?"

"Sure, follow me inside." he responded. It wasn't exactly safe to talk about some things in public. They entered his living area and, after closing the door, he motioned to the table. "There wasn't much five-leaf left, as it's too cold for it to grow, but I sapped several poppy plants, and I found several deposits of mushrooms." He handed Jek the various items as he mentioned them and when he was done received several coins in return.

"Thanks, Hirum" he said, "Rich folk love the 'shrooms, and with so much time on their hands they're in huge demand."
"No problem," he said, throwing Jek a blue bag. "Take some medicinal tea with you, no charge. You can't cure everything with 'shrooms and five-leaf."

"As long as you don't mind me charging rich folks through the nose for it." he responded. "I'll let the poor have it for cheap, but I got to make money somewhere."

"Sure, charge them whatever you want. They can afford it. And if you don't mind, can you put the word out that I'm looking for someone that can deal with both the rich and poor? I've got some ideas on how to get the rich to pay us poor folk for stuff we won't mind doing."

"Sure," Jek said, "See you later." He left, and Hirum got back to work, this time scraping the fat from the deer's hide and throwing it into the fire, filling the cave with the smell of cooked venison.