"Oh, I didn't realize. Making yarn is pretty boring... More cheap yarn is probably better actually."

He loves a good deal, after all, and this clerk guy is right, he can just make it thicker. He frowns thoughtfully and glances at Lin. She must not be able to wear anything too thick and heavy, since she also needs to be moist... Or wool?

"...Yeah I think I will go buy some cheap yarn right now if you have some already, actually. Hey, have you ever heard of fur that doesn't get too cold when it gets wet?"

"You might be able to make something out of irontooth fur? They go in the water a lot. I'll ask our supplier!

I just came to ask about your preferences, so I didn't bring yarn to sell. But there's plenty at the tanner's. We just got some bright pale-red kitsune yarn! That's its natural color, all collected from the same individual over several years."

"I'll have to see what the costs are."

"The kitsune yarn is sixteen per ball. The cheap yarn is seven. I don't know how much irontooth fur would cost, if it would meet your needs, but probably around fifteen.

Tell you what, if you're watching your budget, I can sell you some sweepings for two for a ball-of-yarn's worth. The sweepings are supposed to be composted, but I admire your Kef spirit, I can make an exception for you."

"Is that more than the composter would pay? Makes sense if so. It'd be nice to have some nice red in the pattern too. Let's go get it."

"Yeah, the composter only pays about one and a half." That's true! Just, the tanner is a snob and doesn't want to sell mixed up short fibers that have been lying around getting stepped on, because, even being honest about the product, it would still offend his pride to offer them in the same shop as his customers' own fur. Tomas was going to propose opening his own cart, staying in the water side of town, and selling only the cheap stuff where it won't bother the tanner as much, but that plan is trash now.

Red meaning he wants the kitsune yarn, or ordinary red (which they don't actually have right now), or is he hoping that the sweepings will be red (definitely not, they're dirty brown)? Whatever. "Alright!"

Oh good, the guy isn't trying to get into the house anymore.

"What were you sewing back there? It looked comfortable. What's the pattern you want the red for?"

He can't leave the house as long as Lin and Tomas are still in the way, so he frowns slightly. "Oh, I'm making a hat and gloves and socks maybe. Warm things for being alone without catfolk around sometimes."

Oops, he totally meant to start leading the way to the shop. Onwards!

"Fascinating! Do you do that often?"

Lin follows Tomas closely, directly behind, so she can ram his knees if he tries anything.

He grabs the piece of bark that says how much money-of-Kef he has.

"I think everyone wants to be alone sometimes. Or did you mean sewing? No, it's pretty hard! But." -Wait, yeah, magic's secret. "But I get clothes out of it."

"I would hope you get clothes out of it! Or that someone does!

I meant being alone where it's cold. I like privacy as much as anyone, but I'm not leaving Kef for it!

Hm, do you like the foam bricks I saw on your huddlebed curtain? I've been buying some myself to sleep on..."

And here's the tanner's shop. He goes straight in the back way, hoping the fumes will get the frogold to stop following.

Ick. She grabs clean air from outside, rapidly, to get a draft blowing away from her. 

...Something has spooked him a bit. This is a bit weird.

He makes a face himself and glances back at Lin.

"...Let's go around to the front. See you in a sec!" He calls through the door.

Well either he just blew everything, or the kid is actually coming in the front way. "Okay, see you!"

The kitsune yarn is in a safe. He picks the lock and lays it out on the table out front, along with a bundle of sweepings.

He comes around to the front!

"Ooh, that looks nice. I can put a red zig-zag in the hat! You said it was sixteen for the kitsune fur and three and a half for enough loose fur for one yarn ball?" He investigates his bark sheet and mutters numbers to himself.

"Only two for the sweepings... huh." He touches the sweepings, and bends to look closely.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all - you see this white fiber here?"

He peers. "It's just scrap fur, you said..."

He folds his hands behind his back. "Right! But there aren't a lot of white catfolk in Kef - you can tell it's catfolk by the texture - and I don't think any of them have been by for a deci-year, which means -"

He throws a handful of lime powder at each of their faces and kicks over a bucket of acid.

Lin dodges, snatches at the powder aimed at Nico, and flips it back onto the floor. Cough cough cough cough cough

They both still get a decent sprinkling in the eyes.

!

!?!

Nico's only response is shock, and then pain in his eyes, and then SCREAMING REALLY QUITE LOUD! AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS! At least once, before he's coughing too, on dust Lin missed.

He squints his eyes shut. Greengreengreen- He used it already- It hurts!

He draw a knife, steps towards Lin -

Gah that's loud!

- throws the knife at Lin and lunges at Nico.