The creaking of a rickety ship and clanging of swinging chains in broken rhythm was enough to drive any one man mad, but after two days of travel squeezed between two large supply crates, Sen stayed calm. He sat on his feet from a knelt position keeping his eyes closed to focus on the shipsâ€™ movements. The other stowaways sat across from him, feeling intimidated by his presence. Every so often the lantern in the cargo bay swung ever so slightly as to reveal Sensâ€™ face to them, before losing him in the shadows once again. Sensing this he sighed heavily. â€œIt isnâ€™t polite to stareâ€¦â€ his voice was deep but he spoke softly with a slight undertone of sarcasm. His eyes opened and in another swing of the lantern shimmered brightly for a second, then disappeared. The lantern swung back and briefly lit a now empty space that Sen had occupied a moment earlier. A unanimous inaudible gasp almost filled the room. The panic built up as the others looked around towards each other but could not see him. A small boy flinched as he felt a breath on his neck. A young woman yelped quietly as she felt her hair grazed. Then a grown man rushed out to the middle of the room when he felt a sharp object poke his back. â€œWhat is the meaning of this?â€ he demanded, nearly failing to keep his voice down. His frantic eyes darted from person to person, from shadows to light, but never setting on Sen. â€œYouâ€™ve got a lot of nerve, thiefâ€¦â€ Sensâ€™ voice rung out to the manâ€™s left causing him to turn his head swiftly. â€œâ€¦stealing from people who practically have nothing already. Itâ€™s a damn shame what this world is coming to these daysâ€¦â€ Sensâ€™ voice breezed by the manâ€™s right ear. This time the man swung a backhand violently in the direction of the voice but only hit air. Suddenly a hand burst from the darkness and grabbed the manâ€™s throat. Sen slowly revealed himself in the light; his eyes shined briefly and stared intensely into the thiefâ€™s eyes. Senâ€™s other hand balled into a fist and struck the man clean in the ribcage. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of the thief, along with the otherâ€™s belongings. Sen tossed him on the floor to writhe in pain while the others looked on horrified; not at how Sen attacked the man, but that their only and most precious belongings fell from this other manâ€™s cloak. One by one they stood and approached the wounded man, some grabbing scraps of wood and chains, others cracking knuckles. Sen walked to the side of the ship and lifted a shutter to reveal the ocean and the coastline of Methodin. The ship was slowing and soon the sailors would come down to retrieve the cargo. Stowaways were more thought of as pests and would be disposed of without hesitation. Sen didnâ€™t need that kind of attention yet so he began to prop the shutter open. A little hand tugged on his cloak which stopped him from climbing out. He glanced down and the little girl presented him a small wooden carving of a hawk. â€œI canâ€™t take that. Thatâ€™s not mine.â€ Sen said softly. â€œYou look hurtâ€¦â€ the girl spoke then pointed to her chest, â€œâ€¦on the inside. Youâ€™ve made the rest of us smile. This will help you smile.â€ And without another word the girl put the carving into Senâ€™s hand, smiled and ran back to her family. Sen pocketed the trinket and looked back at the little girlâ€™s parents. â€œGet out and swim to shore while you still can. Otherwise the Sailors will have you put in prison, or worse.â€ And with that Sen hoisted himself up and out the shutter window and plunged into the ocean below.<br/><br/>The shoreline and dock were easy to sneak onto. Or perhaps it was just easy for Sen. He watched the pattern of the workers, some of the guards in the areas and the activity of the shop keepers nearby. Who would least likely see him? Which part of the crowd could he duck into and blend? Where was the best place for him to rest and dry off without rising suspicion? He knew all these answers the second he was on the street in a crowd. A couple of cloaked travelers veered off towards another street and Sen followed in toe. He weaved his way through the crowd until ducked into an alley where he removed his cloak and began ringing it out.  â€œHow can I know how to do all this and not remember who I am?â€ he asked himself quietly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wooden Hawk carving he got from the stowaway girl and his thoughts drifted; might that be the last time she ever smiles? Is she strong enough to survive with such a pleasant way of looking at life? Is this really worth dwelling on? At least itâ€™s a memento for him to remember a friendly little girl who could see the good and pain in him. He would at least keep it for her. Should he never regain his memories, at least he could have this one as a fresh, new, good memory. Either way it was time to move on, and across the alley Sen saw his next destination; the Dove By Inn.