"Good afternoon," Hadrian offered, but no one replied. No one smiled. Some whispered in the shelter of doorways. Mothers pulled children inside and men picked up pitchforks or axes. "This is where you grew up?" Arista whispered to Hadrian. "Somehow it seems more like how I would imagine Royce's hometown to be." This brought a look from Royce. "They don't get too many travelers here," Hadrian explained. "I can see why."