Veil, Vathah, Red, and Ishnah infiltrate the mansion Rockfall during a guard change, with Ishnah distracting the mistress, Brightness Nananav, as a rug merchant. Veil cycles disguises, mimics Nananav’s persona to gain access to the larder, and wrestles with intrusive thoughts as the role begins to overtake her. They load food into a dumbwaiter and hide it inside rolled carpets for their wagon.

As angerspren boil through the ceiling above the loading bay, Veil orders an immediate escape. The gates close and guards confront them, so Veil appears as Nananav and conjures grotesque illusions that shatter the soldiers’ nerve. A crossbow bolt pierces her head; she momentarily blacks out but remains standing, healed by Stormlight, and the guards flee. Vathah opens the gates and later wrenches the bolt free; Veil fully recovers.

Disturbed by the city’s worsening hunger, Veil debates using the stolen food to buy entry to the Cult of Moments. A note from Wit advises doing something to get the cult’s attention. Veil decides to solve both aims at once: make a spectacle and help people.

She consults Grund, a one‑handed urchin she has been bribing for local intelligence, and gathers a list of overlooked, deserving recipients. Veil and her crew then deliver sacks of food around the city—families like Muri the seamstress, refugee children in a park, and others—carefully avoiding a riot while ensuring their actions are seen.

By evening, the wagon is empty. Veil keeps only a token for Vathah, satisfied that the generosity will both relieve suffering and draw the Cult of Moments’ attention, even as her shifting personas and the seductive power of her disguises remain a growing concern.