After meeting some of the people on the streets and paying a visit to 'Kunpimooks hats and cookies' (the strangest store in town) they were just idly walking around while the sun was still setting. It drowned the plains in a fiery red ocean of flames, breaking beautifully around Sawtooth Mountain. Hongjoong knew to appreciate the wonders nature gave them and looked at it as long as possible.

They did not find San yet but they did get the information that he was planning to return the next day. Hongjoong just had to wait for a bit then.

"Are there any other hunters apart from San? Or people who spend much time out in the fields?", Hongjoong had asked Wooyoung while they had been walking down to the railroad station. Hongjoong wanted to check the place out und also meet this Park person if possible so he could ask him about the constant attacks on the trains.

"Well Yunho is out a lot to collect ingredients. He's our doc. Mingi too. Most information we get on the desert is from Mingi actually."

Hongjoong jotted that down, having accumulated a remarkable amount of information by now.

"So we could take those two with us too?"

Wooyoung made a funny noise, stepping up the creaking steps to the platform and building at the station.

"I don't think so. Yunho likes staying here all the time and Mingi is a bit particular. He does not take orders." He shrugged at Hongjoong's hum, carefully peeking in to the information room of the building. Nobody was inside at the moment so he motioned Hongjoong to follow, stepping in too.

"Seonghwa, are you up there? You have a visitor!", Wooyoung sweetly yelled up the stairs where another door was probably leading to Seonghwa's private quarters.

A thump was to be heard and then heavy steps that sounded like a really painful limp travelled through the second floor.

Hongjoong took his hat down, looking up patiently while Wooyoung just picked at his teeth, leaning against the railing of the stairs casually.

The door did open then, the frame of a tall man coming into view. He was carefully gripping at the railing, heaving down one of his legs that was wrapped in a heavy cast and supported by wooden splints.

"Give me just a second.", he murmured distractedly, trying to hold himself upright on the steep steps with the singular railing and only one working leg.

Hongjoong did not hesitate seeing that pitiful man, pushing his hat into Wooyoung's arms and jumping up to help him.

The man looked surpised at first when Hongjoong came up at his side but he smiled carefully when Hongjoong beamed at him, slinging one of his arms around the injuried man's waist.

"Here, grab my shoulder.", Hongjoong supplied gently, his brain coming up short for a moment when he noticed how small the waist under his fingers was compared to the man's shoulders.

Together they somehow made it down the stairs and back to Wooyoung who was standing there with Hongjoong's hat pressed against his chest in mock emotion. Seonghwa hopped through the room at Hongjoong's side, settling down on a bench with a groan. Sweat was glinting on his forehead and Hongjoong pitied him again.

It must be hard operating trains like this and he was alone with that job as it seemed.

"Sorry. I already sweated all over you and did not even intoduce myself. I'm Park Seonghwa." The man carefully reached out a clean and oddly neat hand out to Hongjoong who was still standing at his side.

Hongjoong took it, finally taking in the other's face when he greeted him.

He also seemed young and a pit more pale than usual, his black hair contrasting harshly with his light skin. Dark bags had settled under his eyes but he was still undeniably attractive.

Hongjoong found himself wondering where his wife was while he was injured this badly but he did not dare ask. Maybe the bandits took her.

So instead he just let his fingers slide carefully in the other one's, shaking his hand gently.

"I'm Kim Hongjoong, the new sheriff in town."

Seonghwa gave a wry chuckle at that, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Yeah, I can see that. Welcome in Fort Davis.", he drawled in the usual accent of the people here, making Hongjoong clap his hands in glee.

"Thank you. I am sorry to be bothering you at such an hour but I do actually have some questions for you to answer. Do you feel up to that?"

Seonghwa nodded with an indulgent smile, settling down more comfortably.

"Let's begin then. I've already heard that you are the railroad operator here and are being hindered by the frequent attacks on the goods delivered. Are you the only person working in this place right now?" Hongjoong took out his notebook again and decidedly ignored the way Wooyoung rolled his eyes next to him.

Seonghwa stayed patient, answering calmly.

"Sometimes some of the people in town help me unload the deliveries. Apart from that I'm trying to teach one of the boys in town about how all of this works these days as I'm not really up for hard work." He patted his leg gently, Hongjoong nodding in understanding.

"You encountered the bandits before right? Do you have any intel on who they might be? Anything that might help the government to get them?"

"Oh, uhh... Nothing of help I fear. The person who attacked me was really tall though and they had a knife. It was a strange one, normally they carry guns and he was really good with it. Nearly hacked off my leg after all." He patted the poor thing again.

"That might have been their food's person. This means that while the group has members for daily chores everybody is also send out on raids. It will be hard to trace them then. No real base we could attack.", Hongjoong mumbled more to himself, the other two keeping quiet so he could make his notes in peace.

"Anything else that seems important to you, Mister Park? Of course you can also send for me whenever you think of something. I do not wish to waste too much of your time when you're already occupied with healing."

"I shall think about it again and contact you if there is something more that comes to mind. I did not expect you that early, Sheriff Kim." Seonghwa smiled a calm smile, extending his hand to Hongjoong again. Hongjoong rose in order to take it, careful not to step too close.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I wish you a fast recovery. If you might need any help you can find me in my office whenever." Hongjoong tapped his hat in greeting then, shuffling out behind Wooyoung into the cool gray of the night. The first cicadas had started their nightly choir and in the distance some other animals were to be heard but the plains still had a calm tranquility to them.

Hongjoong breathed in the clean air deeply, starting his trek back to the village with Wooyoung by his side.

"So, tall and dark-haired, huh? Not bad.", Wooyoung commented with a teasing smirk, making Hongjoong gasp indignantly at him. His hinting was quite obvious.

"Excuse me?"

"Park. I mean I get it. Everybody here swoons over him. Had we come earlier you could have met basically every woman in town trying to get his attention by helping him somehow. He's not married if you were wondering." The man winked comradly, making Hongjoong's face burn. Had he been that obvious?

"This behaviour is highly unprofessional, Mister Jung. I would appreciate it if you kept your nose out of my private business."

"Oh, but in this town nothing is private. Everybody shares information, we basically live off gossip. I certainly won't tell the others that our new sheriff is already smitten with Park but I damn sure will also not oversee it. By the way call me Wooyoung. We will spend lots of time together. Honestly, it will be so much that I will know everything about you either way."

"Mister Jung, I-"

They were interrupted by a person crossing their path, mumbling to themselves. The man was tall and broadly build but he was carrying a cute little basket with flowers painted on it and various herbs or something sticking out.

It was the middle of the night and he just dropped down next to the path in some muddy spot, starting to dig around with his bare hands.

Hongjoong stared at him dumbly.

"I told you, Mingi, this is not them. No, no, these are all wrong. I need the older ones, they have way more healing abilities. Where? Ah, so far out? Should we maybe leave tomorrow? Were you not so damn uncooperative all the time you could just get them yourself!"

Who was he talking to?

Wooyoung seemed not bothered the slightest, just marching closer to the man to tap his shoulder gently. The man acknowledged him with a calm nod, standing up then to wipe his hands on his pants.

Hongjoong pulled a face.

"Ah, Woo, fancy meeting you here. You coming back from some wild make out session with San?"

Wooyoung punched the taller man in the stomach for that, making him laugh. Hongjoong had already made his notes again, smirking at Wooyoung's panicked glance.

"No, no, this is not true! It's a joke around here, I do not make out with San! Tell us, Yunho, what are you and Mingi doing here when it's already dark out?"

Hongjoong felt glee to have something to make an quite obviously shy Wooyoung embarassed with but he also did still not see another person and that confused him greatly.

"Ah, he told me about some nodules I might have needed out here but those are not the right ones. No I told you, idiot, they are not!"

He spoke... To his basket?

Was Mingi some kind of dog? It would make sense actually but that small? A cat? Also those conversations seemed a bit strange.

"Well then, typical Mingi. Ah, by the way this right here is Hongjoong. He is our new Sheriff." Wooyoung gestured towards Hongjoong who stepped forward then, carefully shaking Yunho's hand.

"Ahh, Sheriff Kim, right, I heard. Mingi told me. Ah, this is Mingi!" Yunho thrusted his basket forward and Hongjoong tried to see whatever was inside really badly but it was dark out and he only saw some twigs and straws.

"H-Hey Mingi?"

There was no answer. Of course not.

Wooyoung snickered when he saw the look of absolute confusion on Hongjoong's face.

"We will take our leave then. Good look at finding your stuff, don't bother him too much, Mingi!"

They parted ways again and Hongjoong kept turning to that strange doctor of theirs, close to writing it off as an hallucination after spending too much time in the sun.

"Mingi is... what exactly?"

"A tumbleweed. Young, wild and free."

Wooyoung laughed again when Hongjoong just stayed quiet, them entering the town again where some windows were lit by now.

"You have to be kidding me. A tumbleweed?"

"Yeah, no lies. I told you Yunho is our local quack. One day Mingi - an actual person - disappeared from here and Yunho is absolutely sure he accidently magicked him into a weed or something. I mean we never saw Mingi again so..." Wooyoung just shrugged, his voice high and scratchy from amusement.

"How does he even believe that?"

"I have no idea. But everybody accepts it. Not like it hurts someone. Just be kind and play pretend whenever he brings it up. Mingi did travel through a large part of the plains already."

Wooyoung came to halt in front of Yeosang's inn, tapping his hat.

"I will see you tomorrow then, Sheriff. Have a nice first night here. Dream of Seonghwa, maybe?" He immediately jumped away with a squeal when Hongjoong tried to kick him.

"Work on your professionalism, boy. I am not Jaebeom.", Hongjoong just grumbled, entering the inn then brusquely. Wooyoung slinked away with a giggle.

Inside Yeosang was just finishing cleaning the floor, giving Hongjoong a curt nod. Everything was quiet now and he had no troubles in walking upstairs and finally taking his long-awaited bath. The nights out here were not that cold yet so Hongjoong felt content walking around naked when he quickly moved his stuff in his drawers.

Only after mulling over all of his notes again he could finally fall asleep.