Run: 2026-02-22-01KJ36E0FPJQFVWYSKPEX3THSY

The market square buzzed with the sound of a hundred voices. Elena pushed through the crowd, her satchel clutched against her chest. She knew the merchant would not wait — he never waited for anyone, least of all a girl from the outer ring. “You’re late,” Gregor observed, without looking up from his ledger. He ran a thick finger down a column of numbers and frowned. Elena placed the package on the counter. “The bridge was out. I had to take the long way around.” “Not my concern.” He unfurled the cloth and held the crystal up to the light. It caught the sun and threw tiny rainbows across the stall’s canvas roof. Gregor’s frown deepened. “This isn’t what I ordered.” She had anticipated this. The old man always found something to complain about, whether the goods were perfect or not. Elena folded her arms and stood her ground. “It’s precisely what you ordered,” she stated. “Blue quartz, uncut, from the northern mines. I oversaw them pull it from the rock myself.” Gregor rotated the crystal slowly, inspecting every facet. He brought it close to his eye, then held it at arm’s length. Elena thought he resembled a jeweler assessing a diamond, though Gregor dealt in stranger things than jewelry. He set the crystal down and emitted a sigh. “Very well. But next time, wrap it properly. The edges are exposed.” He retrieved something from beneath the counter and produced a small leather pouch. The coins inside tinkled as he pushed it toward her. Elena gathered the pouch and tested its weight in her palm. It felt light. She loosened the drawstring and tallied: eight silver crowns. They had agreed on ten. “We had agreed on ten,” she declared stiffly. “That was prior to the bridge fee alteration.” Gregor’s lips curved – a thin, practiced curve that never quite reached his eyes. “Take it or leave it.” She accepted it. She invariably did. The outer ring presented few options, and Gregor understood that as acutely as she did. Elena exited the market and ventured into the narrow lanes beyond. The sun dipped low over the rooftops, and shadows elongated across the cobblestones. She deposited the pouch into her satchel and increased her pace. If she pressed on, she would cross the bridge before nightfall.