Morning light filters through the barn slats as Mrs. Gable arrives early, just as she does with a bright bouquet for Joy. The little girl beams and hugs the flowers close, while Hunter reaches in to steady her before she knocks the stems loose.
Hunter McCready
That seal again.
Deep in the greenery, Hunter spots a small embossed wax seal tucked against the stems, the same mark he has seen from the Organizer’s office. The cheerful gift suddenly feels deliberate, placed with care.
Mrs. Gable
I thought flowers would be a nice send-off. Joy deserves that.
Mrs. Gable’s smile holds, but her hands stay a little too careful around the bouquet. Elias looks from the seal to her face, then back again, and the barn goes very still.
Elias
You brought that from her, didn’t you?
Mrs. Gable
Not to spy. To keep the peace, if I can. The office wants a softer way in, now that the vendors are standing together.
Joy keeps smiling at the flowers, unaware of the tension. Hunter’s hand hovers over the bouquet, the new governance feeling less like an ending now and more like the first thing everyone is learning to live with.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront Mrs. Gable about the Organizer’s seal
“The office should have no way in, it our market not theirs”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +2)
Hunter McCready
So the office still has a hand on this, through you.
Mrs. Gable’s shoulders sink a little, and the tightness in her hands eases as she hears the question plainly instead of around it. Elias stays quiet, letting the moment belong to them.
Mrs. Gable
I carried her message because I know how this kind of pressure works. I also know you’ve already made the market harder to push around.
Mrs. Gable
That seal is her way of saying she is still watching, still trying to find a seam. I brought it here because I did not want to hide it from you.
Joy glances up at the shift in voices, then back to the flowers in her lap. The bouquet stays bright in her hands, but the seal no longer feels like a secret in the room.
Elias
Then we name it for what it is, and we keep the decision with the vendors.
Mrs. Gable gives a small, tired nod, not relieved exactly, but steadier now that the truth is spoken. The paper with the completed communication plan sits ready beside the dusty notebook, waiting for the next copy and the next signature.
Quest Complete
Confront Mrs. Gable about the Organizer’s seal