The morning in Velaris began more quietly than Iris expected.
After the small trading activity of the previous day, she had expected the settlement to feel different. Not dramatically different, but perhaps a little more settled. People had started finding things they could do. Resources were being gathered, food was being exchanged, and Copper had begun moving from one person's hands to another.
It was still nothing close to a proper economy.
Velaris was far too young for that.
Still, there was movement.
That was what mattered.
Iris walked along one of the main paths, watching people go about their morning. A few residents carried bundles of wood toward the Warehouse. Others returned from gathering trips with plants and stones. Some people stood around talking while deciding what they should do next.
She noticed something else too.
Restlessness.
It was in the way some people kept looking toward the gates.
They had a safe place now.
They had food.
