Just as Adriana trotted in with Midnight star, she sighted a small crowd gathered together at a corner near the servant's dining quarters. One of the men who were present among the crowd- there were only men present- was a guard she knew as Elias, Adriana realized on taking a closer look.
In a tightly closed fist on his upraised hand, he held a small bag of gold coins. To her surprise, it had a striking resemblance to the one she'd previously given to Eric lorreno.
Adriana came closer to the crowd, and there he was. Eric was bleeding a little from a cut on his lower lip. He must've received a jab from whoever he'd gotten into a fight with. They were all taunting him, laughing and shoving him around as he struggled to get the bag back from them. Elias passed the bag to Jason, then Jason to Peterkin, then to the next person, one after the other as fast as they could before Eric could grab it.
