Guarding merchants was probably one of the easiest jobs Crono did. Most had a largest enough number of guards to frighten away most bandits and those few gangs that actually did decide to chance it usually didn't last long. It was easy money is what it was and it paid decently well. The mercenary had just arrived in Ketra after just such a job and the merchant said that it would be a few days before her business would be over with, so Crono had some time to kill and some coins to spend.
Ketra made him uneasy. It was mostly due to the fact that the color of his hair, compared to the native's, made him stick out like a sore thumb, although part of it came from the fact that Adelan's where a...touchy people. More than one fight he had been in had started because of the crowds pushing him into people. It was probably because he was obviously foreign. Bah.
Either way, the mercenary kept himself to the alleyways and backstreets where he wouldn't run into many people. It was usually faster anyway and it made cutting across town easier, which was convenient since he was on his way to a weapons shop on the other side of the city. He'd been toying with the idea of learning how to use a sword so he wouldn't have such problems when people were able to close. Don't get him wrong, he was no slouch with a staff, but bladed weapons tended to give him problems that a sword could solve easier.
Crono strolled through an alleyway, not really in any hurry. The sun had just started its decent so he had plenty of time to get to where he was going. This alley was cleaner than most in that he didn't need to worry about stepping in anything particularly bad. His coin pouch clinked against his leg every now and again which brought thoughts of pickpockets skimming through his head for a brief second before being promptly ignored. He could deal with any would be pickpockets easily.
