Careful not to lose his supper to extending elbows and grand gestures, Meryn moved through the crowded inn. Twice did he stop to accept the praise of drunk patrons, more so because they seized his arm or shoulder before he could move away. With pained smiles and nods, he listened. 

That was the issue of performing in the countryside. A gleeman drew eyes here. Everyone watched the man with the patchwork cloak, and everyone listened when he spoke - be it high or plain chant. It was a double-edged sword. It gave a sense of safety, knowing that there were always people who'd notice when you were in trouble. Knowing that you couldn't be ambushed without at least someone knowing. Yet that also meant he could never fully disappear from the public eye. Never merge into a crowd or leave town without someone knowing. 

It was how the guild had caught up to him over five times already. Nowadays, he was more careful in covering his steps. More cautious not to make the same mistake twice. Sometimes leaving unseen was as easy as hiding his cloak and baggy clothes and riding out during the night. At other times, it had taken distractions. Once, it had come down to a fight. The deadly game of cat and mouse he played with them, however, had culminated into an array of useful skills. 

Like knowing when he was being followed. 

His brown eyes darted around, never resting in one spot too long, as he took in the faces of the patrons. He sought for signs, however subtle, that the figure stalking him through the crowd toward the stables wasn't acting alone. He made sure to take his time to reach the door to be certain that the figure had no helpers. When he was, Meryn slipped through quickly. 

The door creaked as it opened, letting through noise, warmth, and light that made the young stableboy on the other side jump up. Meryn glanced at him but dismissed the kid's presence immediately. When he first came in early in the afternoon, to drop off his belongings and saddlebags, he had promised the kid three silver pieces to keep quiet and leave him be. The mere mention of three silver pieces had made the kid's eyes bulge. 

Now came the time to really put it to the test. 

As soon as he was through the door, Meryn stepped aside and hurriedly put down his supper. His eyes flashed to his belongings lying near the haystack about fifteen paces away. Among them were three bundles of oiled cloth. Three perfect examples to illustrate why the guild wanted him dead. [i]Like I'll go that easily.[/i] He reached for the dagger hidden in his green leather vest. 

The second the figure following him would step through the door, he'd drag them aside and pin them to the wall with a dagger to the throat. The blade gleamed in the lamp's light. [COLOR=WHEAT]"I won't go that easily..."[/COLOR] He muttered once more, to himself. 

[@Algarus]