"Never thought I'd be back here."

From where he stood, all Julius could see were the semi-collapsed ruins of Dresden's slums.  There were a few sheets of cloth and mismatched pieces of studier material roughly attached to one another in some areas, making some of the ruined buildings habitable but only just.  He was still far away enough that no one would be paying him much attention and he was a loan traveller; their lookouts would be more concerned with larger groups of people.  Raiders often came here, taking what little these people had and then disappearing along with several of the populace destined to be slaves.

Julius knew that beyond the ruins stood the ordered, well maintained buildings of the upper-classes; the scientists and the other more respectable profession holders lived there under the protection of hired guards.  He had always suspected that the guards were just as much to keep the poor out of that part of the town as well as to discourage raiders and slavers from coming too close.  They weren't so concerned about what happened in the poorer districts, however, hence why the slums here were such a popular target for criminals.  Once, he had belonged in those neatly rowed houses and had no idea about what went on in the workers' district and the slums beyond it.  Even now, if he mentioned his father's name he was sure a position could be found for him and he could live in relative comfort.

But he was an Immortal.  Now they would keep him out of scientific interest and that would be destined not to end well for him.  That was why he had left.  That, and for years the thought of returning here had resurfaced memories long buried of his father standing at the lip of a cave with his flesh flayed from his bones by a sand storm.  Subconsciously the young man touched a hand to his leg, the one he still limped on even though it was fully healed; he [i]knew[/i] that the limp was now caused by his psychosis but that knowledge had not helped cure him, it merely made it more frustrating.

Shaking his head to clear it of long-gone times, he pressed on towards the slums.  They were not safe but at least the people here would not bother to report an Immortal to well-armed guards.  The guards were more likely just to shoot them before they could get a word out so now the most dangerous part of his former home was the safest for him, the discrimination against the residents in the slums now his greatest protection.

"What's yer business here?"  Someone called out as he neared the boundary that separated the town from the wasteland.  Julius had to pull back the hood of his coat a little so that he could search for whoever had addressed him.  The man in question was quite a stereotype: tall, muscled and heavily scarred with what looked like a club with a nail through it balanced casually across one shoulder.  It seemed the people in the slums were too poor to afford even the most basic of weaponry.

"Just a traveller."  Julius answered with a calm smile, not being afraid helped in these situations.  His strength as Immortal meant he could slice this man into pieces so he had no fear of him, whether he had the intention to or not, and over time he had found the absence of fear and a degree of confidence gave him access to the less welcoming settlements of the world.  "Actually, I'm a teacher but I'm not one for staying in one place for long, I get the itch to travel.  I can offer my services in return for shelter and sustenance."  He considered revealing the handgun holstered at his side, like a free pass for entry to some places, but decided it was best to appear less dangerous for now.

There was silence between them for a moment, the man chewing the inside of his cheek thoughtfully before stepping to the side a little to allow him passage.  Julius nodded his thanks, plodding his way forwards but with a tight grip on his staff, just in case.

"Yer a teacher, y'said?"  The burly guard asked, looking at Julius' bedraggled clothing with scepticism thick in his voice.  The white-haired young man nodded, watching the guard thought.  He was chewing his lip and was staring up at the sky, clearly on the cusp of saying something.  In Julius' experience, no one wanted to admit to being uneducated, even in places like this, and so he said nothing so that the man could get to his point in his own time.  "There's a few kids who could use yer help.  You'll hear their place before you see it."

Julius nodded with a smile as he continued on, calling back to the guard without turning around before he was out of earshot.  "Adults are welcome too."