Hunter wipes his hand on his cuff, and the ink stain catches the barn light again. Nora notices it at once. Joy looks up from the crate she is sorting, sensing the room go still.
Nora
That is petition ink. Same as the signatures at the market.
Hunter McCready
Yeah. It is.
The cuff is no longer just dirty from work. It is marked by the day Hunter stepped into the middle of things and stayed there. The barn feels less like a shelter now, and more like a place where plans get made.
Mrs. Gable
You kept that on purpose, didn't you? Not the stain, the choice.
Mrs. Gable stands with a bundle of copied pages in her arms, her expression careful but steady. The answer to where she stands is in the way she holds those papers, close to her body, like they belong with the vendors and not the office.
Mrs. Gable
I am with the people who sign their names and mean it.
Joy climbs down from the crate and pads closer to Hunter, peering at the dark mark on his cuff as if it is something important she should remember. Nora gives a small, quiet nod, and the barn settles into the shape of a headquarters before anyone says that word aloud.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the homestead from the market office
✓ Quest Accepted
Find out how the market office is watching the homestead
“Has Mrs. Gable seen any office vehicles patrolling near the homestead lately?”
YES, AND MORE (Likely, rolled 2)
Mrs. Gable
It is not just the ink, Hunter. I have seen their black sedans idling at the crossroads twice this week, watching the lane.
Mrs. Gable
They are not just patrolling. They are mapping the homestead, and they know exactly who is coming and going.
The air in the barn grows heavy, the quiet of the farm replaced by the sudden, sharp realization that the office has turned its gaze toward their front door.
“I will ask Nora if she noticed any strange vehicles following her here.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled +1)
Hunter McCready
Did you notice any strange vehicles following you out here?
Nora
On the road, yes. A dark sedan slowed by the junction, then kept on when I turned off. I thought it was just passing through.
Mrs. Gable
Twice this week, Hunter. That is not a coincidence.
Nora’s hand tightens on the edge of the crate, and her eyes flick once toward Joy before she catches herself.
Nora
I did not want to drag trouble here. I am sorry.
Mrs. Gable lowers the copied pages a little, as if the papers themselves have turned heavier in her arms.
Mrs. Gable
They are not guessing anymore. They know this barn matters.
Quest Complete
Find out how the market office is watching the homestead