Hadrian, numb from a stunner graze and carrying a stolen purse, flees through Borosevo’s streets while urban prefects pursue him. Years of hardship have made him practical: instead of continuing to run and attracting a crowd’s attention, Hadrian ducks into a cafe, disguises himself with items from the purse, and pockets the money inside.

An older, half-drunk offworlder calling himself Old Crow notices Hadrian’s condition and immediately understands that Hadrian is a stranded outsider and a thief. Crow promises not to report Hadrian, asks how long Hadrian has been trapped on Emesh, and speaks with weary familiarity about the planet’s wrongness and misery.

Hadrian is struck by Crow’s word “wrong,” because it captures everything Hadrian has felt since waking abandoned on Emesh: the air, light, moons, and his own degraded life all feel alien and unbearable. Crow says a man must be going somewhere, which stirs Hadrian’s buried longing for ships, travel, and a life beyond the streets.

Hadrian asks how Crow became a sailor, briefly imagining escape into space. Crow warns that sailing is harsh and instead mentions other work, including hothouse farming, fishing, and the pit fights at the Colosso, where Hadrian’s build might serve him. Hadrian is tempted to ask Crow to take him away, but remembering Cat keeps him silent.

Before Hadrian leaves, Crow warns that Hadrian cannot survive indefinitely by theft and flight, and insists that identity or birth matters less than action. A prefect then spots Hadrian from the street. Crow raises his cup and tells Hadrian to run, but to run somewhere, and Hadrian flees again.