A meow?
Opening his eyes Jack looked left to find a chubby well groomed orange cat stare at him intensely.
Are you the response to my prayers? Jack thought jokingly.
Crouching down he moved his right hand to pet the cat, when his hand almost reached its head it turned its back and moved down the left dirt road.
With its back still turned it looked back at Jack and waited.
Does it want me to follow? Wait no way! Is this cat actually a response to my prayer? The cat began to run slowly not waiting for Jack to finish his thoughts.
"Wait a moment!" He quickly got up from his crouching position and moved towards the cat, seeing him follow contrary to his appearance the Chubby cat began moving much faster.
The houses around them began looking much better than the poor one or two room houses in his neighborhood, larger yards, better fencing.
There were also people.
There were still a few houses marked with X but by the time the dirt road turned paved it appeared as if nothing had happened, the houses themselves were much more densely packed than before and lacked yards most of the time.
The cat turned sideways to the right and squeezed its chubby body between the houses making it impossible for Jack to follow it any more, He watched the cat disappear to the other side.
On the other side was a dark alleyway, the cat turned its head back at Jack before running out of view.
This motherf****r.
Why did I even run after a cat?
Jack who was leaning on the wall with his hands took a few steps back before he began scratching the back of his neck.
"Haaa.. this is what I get for doing stupid things." He said quietly while looking around.
He saw an intersection, the ground was paved with cobblestones and the houses were made with red brick over which was thick white paint. Most of the houses were two stories with normal wooden windows.
The intersection was oval shaped and connected three roads other than the one he came from. In the middle of the intersection there were some kids playing around and some men and women walking about with their business.
The attire was either linen clothing some had simple hood or caps, wool tunics and the rare padded doublet. Most of it visibly dirty and worn from use.
Walking forward Jack looked around and suddenly stopped.
"sniff.. sniff.." It was the smell of freshly made bread.
It came from a two story building, the ground floor had large windows facing the street some of which were opened letting the smell of bread out on the street.
Outside there was a wood sign depicting a bread basket, the place was without a doubt a bakery!
From the outside you could see an older woman with graying hair working about moving boxes of bread to the counter from the back room while chatting with one of the customers.
He looked at the boxes on the counter.
Those breads are the same as last night, this must be where they are from!
I might also get some info, two birds for one stone.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
DING!
It even has a bell.
Now inside the pleasant warmth of the bakery hit his face.
The old lady behind the counter turned her gaze and looked towards him surprised.
"Jack!"
The customer at the counter with bread in hand also turned to look, but he didn't show any change in expression.
He looked behind at the old lady and said "I'll take my leave, see you tomorrow Delma."
So my name is Jack?
He moved to the side allowing the other customer to pass by and exit, Jack took this opportunity to also check if there were any other people behind him so that he doesn't use the name of another person.
That seems to be the case.
Looking back towards old lady Delma he asked "I didn't interrupt did I?"
She responded with a smile "Not at all, we were just talking about the current prices of flour." She then tapped her hand on the counter.
"But that's not important, where have you been boy?"
"Aldric came and asked about you when he went to the church, he didn't show it but he was clearly worried."
Someone asked about me? How should I answer that question..
"Hmm.. well I ate something bad" Damn it,this is the worst possible excuse.
Think.. How do I make this excuse better?
..I got an idea
"I've been vomiting and could barely move around the last few days."
Delma looked at him for a moment the way people look at someone who has been gone long enough to worry about.
Wait I don't know how long I've been gone
Delma's expression shifted. The warmth did not leave her face exactly - it just made room for something heavier.
"Better that than the affliction." She wiped her hands on her apron slowly. "Or whatever trouble the slums are cooking up these days." A moment passed before she spoke again, quieter.
"If something happened to you I wouldn't know how to face Gale and April up there."
"Anyway, you came here for bread so take your pick"
Jack looked over the boxes on the counter. Round puffy loaves, standard bread, baguettes, others he did not have a name for.
"One of the big round ones."
Delma picked it up and set it on the counter, looking at him sideways. "Feeding an army or just that hungry?"
"Ten flora." she added.
Jack placed the silver coin on the counter.
She looked at it. Then at him. Her hand moved to pick it up but she held for just a moment longer than she needed to, long enough that Jack noticed, before she took it and counted out ninety copper onto the counter without a word.
He divided the coins between his two pockets. They bulged.
Delma watched him do it.
"Jack."
She said it the way people say a name when the name is the whole question.