She woke with a start some time later. The fires had all burned to coals. She couldn't see anyone left in the camp site. They must have all gone to bed, some to their tents, other to their carts. She felt incredibly groggy, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and tried to figure out why she'd awakened so abruptly. It took her a moment to remember that she had agreed to meet someone in town.<br/><br/>Suddenly alerted, she hopped to her feet. Picking up the book, she stuffed it into her bag. The single pack contained all of her current worldly possessions. With a grunt, she hoisted it onto her back and looked around to be sure she had not been noticed. After a moment, she was sure she was the only one conscious, and hurried off into the trees, heading toward town.<br/><br/>She had not been in this area for many months, and had only made a visit once before, but still her keen sense of direction led her almost directly to the gate. she emerged onto the path and strolled slowly, adopting a relaxed pace. When she reached the gate, there were several guards standing at alert attention. Two of them stepped onto the path, barring her passage.<br/><br/>"Halt for search, miss..." one of them said to her, "There's been a bit of a situation in the city.<br/><br/>"Search..?" she furrowed her brow, peering at the two, "Why do you need to search me?"<br/><br/>Even as she asked, she was shrugging out of her pack. She knew that they would pick up on the slightest sign of hesitation on her part, and would become suspicious of her. They didn't seem too concerned about her for now. Mostly, she could tell they were keeping travelers from leaving. She handed the pack over without hesitation, standing still as she waited for instructions.<br/><br/>"Standard procedure, Miss," the one who had addressed her spoke up again, "Nothing to worry about."<br/><br/>The other guard stepped forward as his partner was searching the pack, and made a gesture with his hands. "Lift your arms for me, please."<br/><br/>Feeling slightly tense about it, she did as she was told, raising her arms out to shoulder height at her sides. He closed the distance between himself and her, and began stroking his hands over her body. He felt every inch of her, searching for hidden weapons, lingering longer than was necessary over her breasts and hips. She swallowed her anger and stood still. The last thing she needed was to antagonize a man like this.<br/><br/>After a great deal of poking and prodding, her pack was returned to her and she was allowed passage. Disgruntled and in a great hurry, she made her way into the city, headed for the back corner where she knew the people she would fine were less than savory. Just the sort of place to hold a less than savory meeting.