I blinked a few times. “How much for the bag?” I asked, finally. He shrugged, his palms cupped toward the ceiling. “You want my explanation?” I asked, my voice low, “I work in the palace, as a slave. I don’t want these things anymore. They serve no use to me.” He nodded, checked the bag and found one more jewel.

“The bag will get you thirty gold pieces and I’ll throw in an extra twenty silver pieces just for you.” He said, a small smile creeping across his lips and touching his eyes behind tiny spectacles. “Here,” he counted out the money, square gold pieces with a round sun, round silvers with a crescent moon, “That should be enough.” He picked a pouch the size of my hand from behind the counter and held it out to me. The cloth was cheap and worn, exactly what I wanted. I took it with a smile.

“Thank you.” I murmured, turning to go.

“Wait,” he yipped, his voice still warm, “You’ll want to get out of town quickly. The emperor doesn’t like slaves escaping.” He smiled gently, and I saw the scar by his eye.