After the girls had finished purchasing the necessities, Renee checked if everything had been bought, murmuring to herself again. After giving a nod of confirmation, the compartment in the carriage had been closed.

"We should wait for Sanchez. He said he'll be back in a few." Guelio reminded. The friends boarded the carriage and waited for a couple of minutes

Guelio had stilled in the mental state of unease about the gunshot that seemed to have emanated from somewhere near the river port situated a fair amount of meters away from the mercado. Guelio couldn't help but be curious, overly curious at that, yet he couldn't do anything, recalling what had happened the day they had stepped foot on the Philippine port. He and Rodrigo had obviously gained some notoriety in the Guardia Civil. 

Considering the fuerza has eyes and ears everywhere, it wouldn't be a surprise if someone has caught on to them immediately. However, if the gunshot came from someone who wasn't a Guardia, they would've also been as good as dead. But it hadn't shocked the townsfolk crowding around, no frantic screams were heard. So that's worth a slight sigh of relief.

Or so Guelio thought.

Another gunshot rang across the town and this time it's indeed from the river port. But now, even the Guardia Civil were alarmed. Just when he was about to take on the reins, Sanchez came running towards the direction of the carriage.

"I'll drive!" Sanchez exclaimed.

"Do you even know how to drive a carriage‽"

"Yes I do! And it would be reckless if you were to drive into a swarm of those bastards! Judging the ruckus you and Rodrigo got into recently."

"Where'd you even get that information?"

"It went buzzing around the port I assume you two arrived in. Just get in the carriage!"

And with that, Guelio again boarded the carriage.

"Are you guys jinxed or something?" Renee asked the now-seated

Jazmin responded for Guelio: "Pretty sure everyone on this island is." 

Sanchez put the equine on overdrive. This would've been good if it wasn't for the fact Sanchez was a lousy driver. He swerved left and right, and almost crashed into many people, but they got there in under a minute. Upon arrival to the port, Sanchez hid the carriage at the back of a house nearby. 

"Sanchez. Why are we at the river port? I thought we were supposed to avoid them. Why are we going to the place where they're all swarming?" Guelio exclaimed.

"If something keeps happening, I won't be able to conduct my business, and I can't risk that" Sanchez said as he opened the carriage and grabbed his twin blunderbusses

"Wait, you're not going to-" Rodrigo was cut off with Sanchez immediate response.

"Oh I will. Watch me work with these guns in marvel."

"You're going to kill yourself!"

"Can't die, still have to make deals."

Sanchez winked at the four as he closed the carriage carriage door and ran to the river port.

"This isn't going to end well." Jazmin remarked.

"Why are you always so ominous?" Renee asked.

Sanchez saw the river port. It wasn't exactly a port, more like a pier that juts out into the wide river, but people call it as a port. Here fishermen, craftsmen and merchants congregate, aside from the market. Fish and other seafood is sold wholesale, goods from Rizal and Pasig come to be picked-up by merchants or to travel to Intramuros for international trade. If the mercado was the beating heart of Punto Donostia, the river port was the lungs that give it oxygen to work with.

 When he approached, he saw it wasn't as infested with Guardia as he thought it would. They were probably still running from the town. However, there were a few amount of Guardia approaching. There too was an unorthodox sight to be beheld.

'A lady? And she's hooded herself with a coat in the scorching summer heat?' Sanchez thought.

'And a poor fisherman being held by a Guardia...'

The Guardia would always harass the natives they call indios. Even more so those working men who did not pay the tribute on time, or to the liking of the soldiers. They were beaten by the butt of Mauser rifles, beaten with sticks or simply kicked around as if they were common pests. The fisherman was being subjected to the same treatment. Apparently, the gunshot came from the Guardia trying to scare him into paying up. 

Regardless of how dangerous the situation was, and might become, the hooded lady was going near them, as if to  dissuade them. One of the soldiers noticed someone going near, though not looking directly at the person. So he threatened her: "Get out of my face, indio. This is of no matter to you. Try to intervene and you'll be beaten to a pulp like that fisherman." 

"Indio?" The lady questioned and burst into laughter.

'What?' Sanchez was baffled.

"Humorous you are, Monsieur." The lady remarked as she swiftly took out her revolver and shot a guardia in the head.

'WHAT‽ ' Sanchez mentally exclaimed.

The soldiers around her were in shock, which the lady used to her advantage. She ran to a more open space in the port. But she wasn't running away. She really was going to fight. Sanchez ran to the direction of the lady. The lady fired her revolver at the Guardia and took down three. This caught the attention, though, of the patrol coming to investigate and they too started to join in the gunfight.

She felt a bullet whizz past her head, then a thud just behind her was heard. She looked back to see a dead Guardia, shot on the head, with a big gaping hole on his glabella. She faced front once more to see a man with golden glints in his hair, armed with a pair of blunderbusses

She paid no heed to the man. Though, she did notice the fisherman awhile ago was still there, cowering while watching. The lady flicked her head to the side, signaling the elderly man to run to safety. The man frantically thanked from the distance and ran away. Gunshots rang around the port for a few more minutes. Guardia lay dead everywhere. It almost looked like a massacre.

Yet, they still kept coming. Four were coming in different ends of the two gunners' space. Sanchez and the lady ran past each other and shot them dead. By that time, the Guardia were either lying on the ground dead, or running away from the port, wishing not to be.

But the two seem to be done with the improvised teamwork. With one swift turn. Both are pointing their guns at each other.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Sowing discord and scaring my buyers away?" Sanchez bursted.

"...Capitalist." The lady muttered under her breath and continued to lightly fiddle with the trigger. She was really pulling through with the idea of leaving this guy dead, like the rest of the bastards.

"Hold up. Hold up. HOLD UP!" Guelio interjected. He rushed to the two as they were fighting and predicted that eventually they would point the guns towards each other. The lady merely replied by swiftly taking out another revolver and pointing it at him. She only used one revolver in the fight between her and the Guardia and didn't mind the trouble of reloading.

Guelio was left to stay where he was. He slightly raised both hands, assuring no harm would be done by him to the lady, even if he himself had a revolver holstered at his side.

"She's raising her guard a bit too high...", he said to Sanchez before facing the woman

"I saw you protecting that fisherman. Of high honour, you are."

"Haha. Very charming." The lady sarcastically replied as she firmed her hold on her revolvers. 

"I come in peace. Let Sanchez go and well talk."  

The lady squinted.

"Does it look like I trust any of you? Just because I didn't shoot doesn't mean I won't."

"More Guardia are coming and you have nowhere else to go."

"And so?"

"And you'll die here."

"Like I said: So?"

"Just tag along, will you? Those people you shot? There'll be one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty of them. You've obviously alarmed their forces, so you best be leaving the area. By the time they're done with you, you'll look like a Swiss cheese block. Even you have to admit that the Guardia you fought were tough and skilled."

"Barely."

Guelio places his hands on his hips and let out a sigh.

"Just come with us. Please?"

He nodded to Sanchez, signaling him to put his blunderbuss away. The lady finally kept her revolvers and obliged. Then, three made their way to the carriage. Sanchez ran and boarded first and the lady paced, overtaking Guelio. The two were still in a fair distance to the carriage.

"Don't pretend I don't know you." Guelio started.

"What?" The lady asked, slightly looking back, confusion cognizant in her face.

Guelio mouthed two syllables. The lady only looked away but did not continue to walk.

"You're making a mistake. Whomever you think I am, I am not."

"Oh really? Because I know that that particular person can tie their hair back, change their clothes and act like a man when they needed to."

"Everyone can do that." She replied simply, maintaining composure.

"I know a lady specifically like her when I see one. And you're her. You're a Sho-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Monsieur. You know me as Adrienne la Ētoile, no more, no less.'

'And perhaps if you do know me, then you'd be of much help to find someone I hold dear."

She added, speaking hastily cold in a rather passive aggressive manner.

"I've been searching for her and I never stopped. Ever since the incident, I've never stopped. I went to Barça, Madrid, Ilo-ilo and hell, Qingdao. But I never found her."

"Then this discussion is over, monsieur. Other times, other customs." She said this, though firmly, with less aggressiveness, and with a little twinge of melancholy.

Guelio nods in response.

She ended the discussion. But her voice wasn't cold nor stern. But disappointment was woven into her words. With a sigh escaping her lips, she boarded the carriage and sat beside Sanchez but did not gaze, even dare look at him, distracting herself by looking out the window. Guelio then took on the reins and rode off to a place away from the port.

Jazmin looked at Renee sitting beside her as if to ask: 'What was that about?'

Renee shrugs.