As the center of the town, the market square was a usual bustle of activity. Farmers shouted their produce from atop travel worn carts, and anvils clattered in disharmonious rhythm with the humdrum footsteps of the crowd. The scent of horses and sweat mingled with the distant smoke of factories to produce a cloying aroma of urban life. People pressed against each other to avoid Milos as he stumbled drunkenly through the crowd. Despite the commotion created by his act, Milos knew that it was but a small drop within an ocean of activity. There was an unmistakable relief of tension as Milos slumped against the walls of a tannery, pulled his tattered hat over his eyes, and seemed to pass out. Happy that the drunk disturbance had passed, the crowd flooded in around him and continued with their business.<br/><br/>Beneath the brim of his hat, Milos was awake and aware. Watching the passers by through the holes in his hat, he began making his observations, keeping a keen eye out for anything out of the ordinary and a wary ear open for snatched snippets of conversation that might reveal a lead. For the most part, Milos' scouting was uneventful. Maidservants and errand boys constituted the majority of the crowd, with an occasional gentleman entertaining a lady with the novelty of the common folk. Little came from the passing conversation. After an hour, Milos became an expert in the local gossip.<br/><br/>The time passed uneventfully, and Milos grew more anxious. Just before Milos began to stir from his feigned slumber in the hopes of finging a new place to lurk, his eye was caught by the flash of a pocket watch. The owner of the watch stood out from the crowd on account of his dress. Far too sophisticated to have been made locally, the man's clothes marked him as an outsider. Milos shuffled slightly, hoping to get a view of the man's face, but the crowd blocked his view. The man made for the tannery against which Milos had slumped with a deliberate pace. Intrigued by what a well-groomed gentleman could want with a tannery, Milos jumped up, startling a few people who had not noticed the sleeping drunk. He slipped into an alleyway and pressed himself against the wall near a window of the tannery.<br/><br/>"Depends. People in this town like talking."<br/>"Two hundred pound. I trust that you have no qualms regarding the . . . product?"<br/>"At the price, I'll work my own kid."<br/>"Good. I'll be in touch."<br/><br/>Footsteps receded from the window, and Milos darted back out into the street. He spotted the man making his way away from the market square. Milos began to tail the man, making sure that he did not create too much of a disturbance in the flow of the crowd. A church bell tolled out the hour. It was getting late. If he followed the man, Milos did not know where it would lead him and he might miss his rendezvous with Ellie. Weighing up the risk, he decided to pursue the man. Pulling aside a passing messenger boy, Milos instructed him to meet Ellie in his place and tell her "The crop has sprouted in winter." It was a code used between them when they needed to send messages. Milos often ran alone after a lead and left the message for his companion.