The next morning the four wasted no time in attempting to blend in with the locals they lined up in the merchants square and paraded about as they mingled with the vendors and townspeople They had only been in Forsythia for a few hours when they noticed the tension in the air. Everywhere they went, there were armed guards watching their every move. The locals seemed to be living in fear, darting glances over their shoulders as they spoke in hushed voices.
One of the merchants approached them, looking nervous. "You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"No, we're just passing through," Ethan replied, keeping his voice low. "We heard this was a good place to do business."
"Ha! is that what they've told you?" The man seemed to grow enraged, Ana watched as he spouted profanity's the woman next to him look horrified, "Dear? you mustn't speak that way!" She begged through a fake smile her eyes darting around.
