“It was the next place on the road big enough to give work to a stranger. Not sure how long I’ll be here. Hoping for a better year than the last one.”

I nod a little at the first part. "Excolo is a stable enough town, has electricity and running water which is a huge plus. Could do worse, especially if you've managed to find work." Sip my coffee, and consider the second part. "But it's a strange town... you either have really good luck within it... or really bad. The past several months have been..." Been to hell and back, how does one explain or describe that? "they've been interesting." Is what i finally settle on.

He asks what brought me here, and if I have family. I shrug, kicking a stone out of my way with the tip of my boot. "Came in with the Carnivale. Wasn't planning on staying but I had made friends in town, and the council wanted a resident doctor. Plus..." My eyes inevitably rise to look at The Dormouse. "I knew someone in town, from before I joined the show. She was my family, or would have been..."

I growl a bit and stop in mid sentence. No more self pity.