Maya sat at the hotel bar, watching the crowd.

Scanned the room every few minutes. Told herself she wasn’t.

She’d barely ordered her drink when she saw him. Sean. Walking in with another man.

Her stomach flipped.

She didn’t realize she was staring until he locked eyes with her. He smiled immediately. He steered them toward her.

“Wait, let’s stop at the bar,” Sean said to Dave. “I see someone. Yesterday at the Nostr booth. Have you heard of Nostr?”

“The shittier X for Bitcoiners?” Dave smirked.

“It sounds better! You own your identity. No company can shut you down.”

Sean’s pace quickened the closer they got.

“Don’t get too excited,” Dave said. “I tried it last year. It was dead. Nothing there.”

They reached the bar.

“Hey!” Sean pointed finger guns at Maya and immediately regretted it.

She bit her lip. Trying not to laugh.

Dave leaned against the bar. “So you’re the Nostr evangelist. How’s that ghost town treating you?”

“Dave.” Sean’s tone shifted. Not quite a warning. Close.

Dave ignored him. “I tried it last year. It was dead. Why would anyone leave X for that?”

“Nostr isn’t competing with Twitter,” Maya said evenly. “Everything can, and will be rebuilt on it.”

Dave blinked. “That’s ambitious.”

She held his gaze. “Some people see it early. Some people wait until it’s safe.”

“Bitcoin was a ghost town once too,” Sean said to Dave. “You would’ve called it dead in 2011.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

The bar noise faded. Maya’s smile widened.

Dave looked between them. Realized he was outnumbered. “I see the guys. Looks like the VCs made it, too. You coming?”

Sean looked at Maya, then back at Dave. “I’ll catch up.”

Dave shrugged and left.

She was right. He hadn’t found anything, or anyone, cooler.

Sean turned back to Maya. “Sorry about that.”

She waved it off. “He’s not completely wrong, you know. The network effects aren’t there yet. Discovery is hard. Most people quit after a week.”

“So why do you stay?”

“Because I’d rather build the thing than wait for permission to use it.”

They had the bar to themselves now. At least, that’s how it felt.

“Bitcoiners who prefer Twitter may as well be shitcoiners.”

“Wow, it’s that serious?” Sean pulled out the stool and sat down.

Maya leaned toward him, eyes sharp. “Do YOU like Twitter?”

Sean smirked. “You’ll never catch me paying for a blue checkmark.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “Wow. A mark of integrity.”

They both laughed.

“You’re already defending Nostr to skeptics. I like that.”

Maya’s phone buzzed. The noise rushed back in. Her attention broke.

“Well, I’ve been zapped. I’m a believer now,” Sean said.

“There’s an after-party tonight. Downtown. Last night of the conference.” Maya drained her drink and grabbed her purse.

She held his gaze. “I have dinner now, but maybe I’ll see you there?” She threw down a card with event details.

“Yeah. I didn’t know about it.” He pocketed the card. “Sure.”

She smiled. “This is why we don’t hang out with shitcoiners. They miss all the cool stuff.”

She walked out.

Sean watched her go. Couldn’t look away.