Three Pigeons Change Hands, and the Community Faces an Uneasy Sale

Successive pieces of bad industry news had made some holders want to leave, and people in the community trading area had begun calling certain offers 'refugee fire sales.' The Night Watchman was a longtime member who wanted to take in familiar collectibles without treating someone else's distress as a bargain.

On a quiet-market Sunday, he bought three Iron Pigeons offered under that description. The sellers were eager to clear their positions, while someone in the group urged him to buy more at the low prices. He did not join the bidding talk. He checked the handover details privately, then steered the conversation back to what had made people like the cards in the first place.

The three pigeons changed hands, but the sellers' difficulties remained. The Night Watchman saw that if the community viewed departing members only as a source of cheap cards, players would have less reason to speak honestly. He planned to suggest in the next casual conversation that people first listen to why someone was leaving.