Inside the barn, Hunter sorts the loose papers into crooked stacks while Joy trails behind him, picking up the ones that skitter away on the draft. The afternoon light falls through the boards in pale strips.
A soft knock comes at the barn door. The Produce Vendor stands there with a crate balanced against one hip, shoulders tight and eyes fixed on Hunter like she has run out of better options.
Nora
Hunter, can I talk to you for a second? The office is asking questions again, and I do not know what they want from us now.
Joy pauses beside a stack of papers and looks between them, quiet and watchful. The vendor shifts her weight, trying to keep the crate steady while she waits for an answer.
Nora
I am not trying to make trouble. I just, I need to know if we are supposed to answer them straight or wait for Elias. They did not sound happy.
Hunter finishes straightening one pile and turns his attention to the doorway, the barn going still around the small, uneasy exchange.
Hunter McCready
She came here because she is worried.
✓ Quest Accepted
Set a boundary with the Produce Vendor
“I step toward the door and offer to hold the crate for her”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +3)
Hunter steps in at once, one hand reaching for the crate while the other steadies the doorframe. The vendor lets the weight shift toward him, and her shoulders drop a little at the relief.
He takes the crate cleanly and sets it down inside the barn. The papers on the floor stop skittering for a moment as both of them look at the mess, then at each other.
Nora
That helps more than you know. I was starting to think I needed to pick between answering them and keeping my stall upright.
Hunter McCready
I am not handing you off to them, and I am not making your stall carry this alone.
Nora
That is what I needed to hear. Everyone out there keeps waiting for someone higher up to decide what we are allowed to do.
She glances toward the scattered plan pages, then back at Hunter's ink-stained cuff, and a small, tired smile breaks through her worry. The crate beside his boot is stamped with the market's fresh routing mark, the kind used when office messages get pushed through the entrance board first.
Nora
If you are still willing, I can tell the others you are not the one answering for the whole market anymore. That would save me a lot of guessing.
Quest Complete
Confront the market's reaction to the new autonomy
Quest Complete
Set a boundary with the Produce Vendor