"This is genuine isn't it?" Nobby asked, looking up at Emmaline with sudden suspicion in his eyes. She spread her hands in a guesture of mock innocence.

"You wound me Master Dwarf," she protested, lips curving into a smile. Nobby scowled at her and tapped the ruby with a finger, verifying to his old miners senses that it was the real thing. Emmaline couldn't blame the old fence for being suspicious, certainly she had passed enough fake coins and faux antiques in her time to recognize that his suspicion was well justified.

"If I find the real stuff I don't need to fake it," she told the dwarf. Nobby grunted and reached under his desk to retrieve a heavy purse which clinked satisfyingly on the bench as he slapped it down. The dwarf was careful to keep his meaty fist gripped around the throat of the leather bag.

"I have eight hundred marks for the pendant, the rest of it will take time for me to pull together, find buyers you know," he told them bluntly. Emmaline arched an eyebrow, to be able to part with eight hundred marks meant her old acquaintance was doing better than he let on.

"I'll have to arrange to have someone test the crown of course, plus it will take time to find a buyer," the dwarf rumbled, sliding the pouch across the counter to Emmaline who pulled it open and ran her fingers through the coins with a satisfying clink of gold.  Nobby gave an amused chuckle.

"Don't worry, I know better than to try to pass fake coins to one of your kind Emmy," he chortled. Emmaline smiled, but tested the coins with her magic anyway. Someone had scraped their edges a little, but you would be hard pressed to find a coin in circulation that hadn't been shaved down at least a little.

"We are on our way to Marienburg," Emmaline temporized, wanting to move the process along if she could.

"Suit yourself, but you know the crown wont fetch the same price there, historical interest here in Altdorf and all. A half dozen noble families would kill for the crown, so they can trot it out and claim some kind of link to the throne. Emmaline frowned, not having thought of that.

"Well I suppose we aren't on any real schedule, we can wait to have it tested," she conceded. Nobby nodded agreeably. 

"I can hold on to the valuable until I can arrange it if you like?" he offered. Emmaline was already sweeping the valuables back into her rucksack.

"Master Haraldson," she said with an air of mock injury, "I know we humans are short lived compared to your folk, but I was not, in fact, born yesterday."