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Atlantia Ally Condie 15110K 2023-09-01

"Do you sell many?"

He shakes his head "People buy them now and then for their children’s birthdays I wish I could afford a stall so I could have a chance at selling more, but to pay for a stall, I’d have to sell hs

"But they’re beautiful," I say "People should be saving their coin to buy them" I wish I could tell him this in my real voice

But I think that somehow he understands, because he sounds very sincere when he says, "Thank you"

A bucket of metal parts set behind the bowls catches rab it away frooyleI’ to et the"

It would be interesting to ask hiure out how to et Above And I can’t tell True about ht try to stopto do

"So as it you wanted to ask ," I say "It used to be uess I thought it had gone to the surface with her, if I thought about it at all But I saw it today The vendor said that a boy who looks like Fen brought the ring to her two days before the anniversary of the Divide So Bay must have asked him to sell it Unless he stole it from her"

"No," True says immediately "He wasn’t that kind of a person He isn’t that kind of a person" He frowns "What did they get in exchange?"

"Five hundred and seven coin," I say

"That’s a lot of money," True says "What do you think they used it for?"

I don’t want to tell hih But I also don’t want to lie to hiet ho about this"

"No," True says "But I can try to find out ed your ether to find out why they left?"

"Yes," I say, and I feel a twinge of guilt that it will have to be an uneven partnership I want to knohat he knows I want his help in discovering e can But et to the Above, and I can’t tell hie for each of these fish?" I ask True

"Ten coin," he says, sounding surprised at the sudden change of subject

I try not to smile A pittance, when you consider all the use they will be toand counting out twenty coin "I have enough ht more for me? I’ll pay you the rest tomorrow I don’t need the bowls or the water"

True’s face is astonished and happy "Of course," he says And then he reaches into the bowls and stills the fish "You can have them all now," he says "I trust you" He counts out ten and puts them into a sack It’s heavy when I take it from him