The carriage wheels rumbled over the familiar cobblestones of the city as Delia looked out the window. Beside her on the plush velvet seat were several wooden boxes filled with the precious materials she had spent the entire day sourcing. The sky was a deep, dark blue, and a sliver of a moon was already high among the stars.
"I spent a lot of time at the marketplace today," she said to herself, a tired but satisfied smile on her face as she began to pull off her gloves, her palms sweaty. "But it was worth it." She had found the rare minerals, some pigments and dried flowers she needed for her next, most ambitious dye formula. "At least I also got to see how Owen has been faring these past few days." She had visited him briefly, bringing him a warm meal and the latest payment for another of his invaluable information, a small moment of friendship in a long day of hard work.
