"Women are all about the fancy stuff. The world is falling apart, and she's still hunting for designer brands and mink coats." "What a waste! Two pounds of grain could last for a long time if you ration it!" Cassian shot them a cold look. "Did she use your food or something?" Someone wanted to argue back, but his buddy grabbed him. "Don't start trouble. These people aren't hurting for supplies." Especially since that woman was packing a gun! Cassian was about to finish the deal when Natalie spoke up. She turned to the stall owner. "I just want the mink coats. I'll trade two bags of crackers for them." Just the mink coats? The stall owner was stunned. All the other clothes and bags were at least useful, but the mink coats were pure decoration. It was 120°F outside. Forget wearing them—just looking at them made him sweat. Still, trading a day's worth of food for those furs? That was a win in his book. "Sure," he said, nodding eagerly. Natalie pulled two small packs of crackers from her backpack, grinning. Two bags of crackers for eight mink coats? Total steal. When Frostfall hit, a single mink coat would be worth a fortune. Even if she never wore them, she could trade them for much food. The stall owner took the crackers, tucked them away like treasure, and began packing the coats for Natalie. They were heavy—no way she could carry all eight alone. Cassian and Harold helped her out. As he handed them over, the stall owner hustled on. "The other clothes and bags are top quality too, miss. Do you want them all?" Natalie refused. Even though she had plenty of supplies, she was careful with every dollar. Wasting stuff wasn't her style. Her storage was already packed with clothes and bags. Why bother hauling more secondhand items? "If you've got extra mink coats, I'll take them. Nothing else," she said. The stall owner blinked, confused. Why's this pretty lady into useless junk? He shrugged. "No more coats." Then, he asked curiously, "Why do you need so many mink coats?" Natalie shrugged it off. "It's just a hobby. I love winter and snow. I like decorating with stuff that reminds me of it. It makes me happy." Cassian glanced at her thoughtfully. The stall owner's eyes lit up. "Want a snowmobile then?" Natalie's eyes widened. "A snowmobile?" He nodded. "Yep. I got it the year before the apocalypse. I barely used it. If you want, I can trade it." Natalie felt a thrill inside. That was a score. There was no way she'd pass it up. When the city got buried in snow and everyone was stuck inside, she'd be cruising around in her climate suit and mink coat, unstoppable.Still, she stayed calm, acting a bit doubtful. "With all that flooding, hasn't it been ruined?" The man hurried to explain. "Nope, it's fine. I ran a small business in the Centralview District. When it closed, I had some time left on the lease, so I stored things there. The snowmobile is on the eighth floor—never touched by water." Natalie considered it, got the exact address, and agreed to check it out tomorrow. Then, the four of them hauled their pile of mink coats out. Harold laughed. "Idol, you have the same taste as my mom." Natalie looked at him. "How's that the same?" He grinned. "She loved furs too, but she thought real ones were cruel and switched to fake ones. I didn't think young women liked that stuff." She scoffed. "Why shouldn't young women like furs?" Cruelty? Please. When Frostfall hits, cold will be the only thing that matters. When that time came, cruelty to animals would be the least of anyone's worries. People would be so desperate they'd try to take their neighbor's clothes just to keep warm. They wandered the market a bit longer. Cassian didn't find anything, Harold got some metal tools, and Olivia picked out candles and toilet paper. They'd only been browsing, so they hadn't brought trade items. After agreeing on prices with the sellers, they headed home with the coats to grab their supplies. On the second trip, Cassian stayed home to cook. Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Cassian, you're such a perfect homemaker!" He grinned. "Gotta make sure my babe has a hot meal after shopping."Babe? Natalie rolled her eyes. "You smooth talker!" He winked. "You love it." She was speechless. He caught me. Clearing her throat, she headed out. Lucky glanced between her and Cassian, who was tying on an apron, looking totally torn.