Run: 2026-02-22-01KJ37GM1NAD55KK8Q60PH2FKQ

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 barely glanced up from his ledger as he traced a thick finger down a column of numbers, his brow tightening. Elena set the package on the counter. "The bridge was out. I had to take the long way around." "Not my problem." He peeled back the cloth and held the crystal to the light. Sunlight fractured into tiny rainbows beneath the stall's canvas roof as Gregor examined the stone, his scowl intensifying. "This isn't what I ordered." She had expected as much. The old man always managed to pinpoint some flaw, whether or not one truly existed. Elena crossed her arms, refusing to budge. "It's exactly what you ordered." Her tone remained firm. "Blue quartz, uncut, from the northern mines. I watched them pull it from the rock myself." Gregor rotated the crystal, scrutinizing each angle. He brought it close, then stretched his arm out, inspecting it with the care of a jeweler handling a diamond, although Gregor’s trade ran stranger than most. With a weary exhale, he placed the crystal down. "Fine. But next time, wrap it properly. The edges are exposed." Diving beneath the counter, he emerged with a small leather pouch, coins clicking together as he nudged it across to her. Elena scooped up the pouch, weighing it in her palm. It felt insubstantial. She loosened the drawstring and counted: eight silver crowns. The original agreement had been for ten. "We agreed on ten." Her voice was flat, letting the number hang between them. "That was before the bridge fee went up." Gregor's lips stretched into a thin, rehearsed smile, one that failed to touch his eyes. "Take it or leave it." She accepted the pouch, as she always did. The outer ring rarely offered better alternatives, and Gregor understood this perfectly well. Elena stepped away from the market, moving into the narrow lanes beyond. The sun hovered low above the rooftops, stretching shadows along the cobblestones. She slipped the pouch into her satchel and hurried her pace. If she moved quickly, she could reach the bridge before dark.