In the pre-morning light, the crowd was already gathered. Most had been camping out all night in front of the big box store, with blankets and lawn chairs. Some had been there for several days, complete with tents and sleeping bags. In the cold darkness, this assortment of shoppers were all waiting for the same thing.

Gleebo.

The hottest toy of the Christmas season. Every kid seemed to want one of these fur-covered, animatronic, talking dolls. Every parent was desperate to get one. Several opportunistic 'businessman' were here to get as many as possible for resale on the internet. And this store was said to have had a new shipment of Gleebos come in late in the night, for sale when they opened. The tension was palpable.

Up above the long line of holiday shoppers, Sonja Wu looked down from the building's roof. Like a scientist observing an insect colony, she quietly studied the crowd. Their movements, their attitudes, their interactions. It had been child's play for the Steepscrambler to get up on top of the store, up a stretch of blank wall in the back that the security cameras didn't cover. And nobody ever looked up. But she was not here for the dolls, or any other sort of illegal goals.

From her perch, the monkey simply waited.

When the hour of the store's opening fast approached, earlier than usual for holiday shopping, it still wasn't quite dawn. But the mortals below knew what time it nearly was. As the minutes ticked by, they grew more excited and restless, and so did the Beast.

It was nearly the perfect moment. The needs of the crowd was growing fast. They needed that doll. They wanted a great Christmas for their children. Or they just dreamed of huge markups on eBay. In any case, the greed was so thick, she could almost reach out and touch it as the emotional energy wafted up to her.

Gleebo. Gleebo. Gleebo.

It was as if the shoppers were verbally chanting for their vaunted prize, their desire like a rapid pulse in the air. Finally, one minute to showtime. The greed was at it's height. Shortly, the mob mentality would take over. Greed would shift towards anger and jealousy. Someone would probably get hurt, sparking fear and sorrow.

No, the Spring Courtier was here for the greed. The avaricious desire. And now was peak saturation!

Sonnie breathed it in, the Glamour like a heady rush. The touch of the Wyrd inside her ached for the emotional charge. Drinking deep, her whole body alive and excited, the Beast stepped away from the roof's edge. Her hands shook, and she felt sweaty, despite the late autumn temperatures.

She could feel the greedy essence suffuse her form. Her own desires swelled to match, thoughts of money and material possessions flashing through her mind. Sonja even thought of sneaking inside to grab one of those ugly Gleebo toys.

Ugh, no! Those things are creepy! Let the idiots have them. Maybe I'll go treat myself to that new video game, instead, she thought to herself

Past the building's roofline, she could hear the stampede of people down on the sidewalk, fighting and screaming to get inside, ignoring the cries of underpaid employees to keep to an orderly line.

Smirking, Sonnie shook her head and turned to leave.

Maybe a different store. I'd rather not get crushed to death!