The stables promise honest smells, working horses, and a glimpse of Andronicus. Rufus only means to look — until one touch teaches him what the city thinks he is worth.

Rufus finds Moshe exactly where he said he would be, basket in hand and watching every step. A day at the horses becomes a question of Sabbath, loyalty, and what belongs to whom.

Marcus hears Rufus before he looks up, already moving the bread out of reach. Inside Gnaeus’s bakery, friendship has rules — and breakfast tests every one of them.

First order of the day: Track down breakfast.