"If you ask a noble, lady Avebella included, they'll tell you shops won't open this early." Ine snorts. "Shows what they know. The fancy fronts may not be open, but work goes on."

I follow Ine down a stone cobbled street until she stops at a door and knocks. I hear some noises from inside the building and a little hatch on the door opens.

"Who's there?" a male voice asks.

"I've been instructed to come for a fitting. Des Monté Cardatin," Ine replies calmly.

The hatch closes. Moments later I can hear the sound of metal sliding over metal and the door opens.

"Please come in," the man says with a small bow. His eyes linger a short while on me before he continues. "I assume this familiar to be the recipient?"

Ine returns the light bow before speaking. "It is indeed. I'm sure you can see why we commissioned you."

It's starting to become interesting to watch Ine. When she is near Ara, she acts subservient. In the wash room and the food room, she acted quite superior. Now she is a mix of the two. Setting the mystery of human hierarchies aside for now, I study the place I'm in now. There are all manner of clothing things around as well as armor, all of it too strange a shape for a human. Through an open door in the back I can see another room. The smell of at least two other humans hangs around in the air, but I can't tell if they're nearby, only that they are here frequently.

I'm startled when the man kneels next to me and I repress the reflex to lash out at his exposed face. My little twitch does not go unnoticed and the man pulls back a bit.

"Yes, those claws are nothing to scoff at. You hadn't mentioned the tail though, would you want that taken care of too?" At a nod from Ine, the man continues. "It doesn't look like this familiar will ever feature in a fashion contest, so would you be more interested in protective gear? There are also collars to protect the neck, for example, which can be dyed in house colors. I don't have any armor of the right size, but I could adjust one of the wolf-type ones given a few days. Then again, I could do much with a more rugged look instead of the dainty accessories popular at the moment."

The man is enthusiastically gesturing around me with his hands and I twist and turn my head to keep an eye on what he is doing. He doesn't touch me, but he is so close I want to either step back or attack. Stepping back is not an option, the man has no muscles and is past his prime. Attacking does not feel like a good idea either, so in the end I settle for a loud hiss.

"Sorry there, buddy," He says as he backs off. "Didn't mean to make you feel threatened."

I hiss at him again. Threatened? By him? The thought is enough to make me angry, which only seems to amuse him.

Standing up, the man laughs. "Yes, yes, you are a mighty familiar alright. Now, were you interested in more than previously agreed on?"

Ine is also wearing a light smile as she replies. "Just something for the claws, for the tail and a collar for now. Do you have them as a set with a tracker?"

"Yes I do, please wait here for my return and try not to damage the floor any further."

He turns around and disappears through the door in the back. Looking behind me I see my claws have left small but visible scratches on the lacquered wood.

It takes a while for the man to return with some vaguely claw-shaped things held together by strips of leather. Instead of kneeling near me again, he hands them over to Ine who inspects them closely.

"And this will protect the floor, mute his walking and not harm the claws, all at the same time? And how does the tracking work?" The question is as much a challenge as a request for an explanation. I find myself liking this side of Ine more than the one she shows around Ara.

Pointing at some kind of small disc in the leather work, the man begins his explanation. "Look, this is the connector. Each set has one and the controller is in this collar. As long as you have the collar and those discs are undamaged, you'll be able to find them. No such luck if they get torn to pieces, in that case you'll have to look for it yourself. There is a tracking device to find the collar again, though this model can be tracked by anyone. If you want something more exclusive which only you can track, I have a limited supply of those too."

Ine nods along at the explanation. I'm not too thrilled, though. It feels like I'm being limited again. It's not as obvious as the devils putting me into the cavern, but I'm still being controlled. I'm already trying to be amenable so Ara keeps summoning me, but there is a limit I'm willing to put up with.

"I'll take the more private ones. Not everyone needs to know where he's heading off all the time," Ine decides. "Now, did you manage to make the sheaths as discussed?"

The man smiles broadly, obviously proud. "Yes! I must say, normally these are to protect claws that are not meant to be in contact with mostly stone all the time. It's quite interesting to have to protect the floor from the claws but I can see why you need it! The inside has an easily replaceable layer at the bottom. Also, see how the belts and buckles work? The only thing you really need to cover are the tips, so when the familiar grows you can keep using these for a while by adjusting them. Eventually, you'll need something bigger, but that should be some years from now. Let's see how they fit, shall we? If you could do the honors? I feel your mistress' familiar doesn't like me."

A few minutes later I tap my covered claws on the floor. It took some small adjustments before the man was satisfied. There is wood inside a metal casing with leather around it, that much I can tell. I don't think I could do serious damage with these, if I want to fight I have to take them off. At least there is a thing I can pull with my teeth to do so, but it's going to be a pain to do that for my rear limbs. At least this will make my steps less loud. The main issue is that I'll have to learn how to climb with these. Swinging my tail where I can see it, I inspect the coverings around the blade-like tip. They are far less robust than those around my claws, but I don't have a habit of swinging it against things except in emergencies.

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For what feels like the hundredth time I stop myself from scratching near my neck. The collar is the biggest problem. It feels like it's chafing my neck, even though I'm sure it's far too soft to make any marks. It's a hard outer leather band with metal studs and a soft inner band. It's honestly not a bad idea to protect the neck and the throat, I'm happy they were this considerate for my safety and I can live with the discomfort, but why did it have to be white and blue?

Ine direct my attention to a mirror that reaches from the floor all the way up to the height of a human. There, I see myself in my usual black and red. The band around my neck is not as obvious as I feared. The white is slightly off-color so it doesn't stand out quite as badly. I still wouldn't want to wear this when I hunt, as the contrast with my skin is too great.

The man interrupts my contemplation of the terrible colors. "Such a dangerous familiar, and smart as well! Your mistress is truly lucky. I'm sure she'll brag about it and show off your purchase of today. Be sure to tell everyone about my craftsmanship!"

"If anyone asks I will certainly share your name, master, but my lady prefers not to receive an increase in attention," Ine replies calmly.

Ine and the man are now looking one another in the eye. Some kind of contest is going on, but not one I understand. As their conversation flows back and forth above me, I test how this changes how I walk. Lifting one limb after another and putting them down I try to get a feeling for the weight and sensation. Turning to the mirror I check how my gauntlets look. It's an unremarkable brown color. Unremarkable is fine. My attention is drawn once more to the white and blue collar. With barely a thought I use the spike limbs on my back to lift it up a bit for a better look. The metal studs on it don't shine, though I'm worried Ine will make them shine regardless.

A short indrawn breath and silence from the two humans alerts me to something out of the ordinary. When I look at them they are in turn looking at me. Ine's face is carefully neutral, I can see the effort it takes, while the man has a small smile. It's the smile of someone who just had a victory. I'm a little uncomfortable under their attention. Their gazes only intensify as I look at them. Ine is certainly displeased while the man looks at me like I would look at something nice to eat. Taking a defensive posture I widen my stance and lower my body, spreading the spike limbs and swinging my tail from side to side. It feels weird with these things on my claws and when my tail rakes along the floor, the noise is far from intimidating.

Ine is the first to speak. "The amount you mentioned previously will be acceptable," she says in a calm, cold voice.

The man looks like he wants to argue. He glances at me, then at Ine before holding out his hand. "Deal."

Before leaving, Ine addresses the man one more time. "Please deliver the papers to the Des Monté Cardatin town house, you will be provided with the commission fee then."

I have no clue what all that was about, but the tension in the room is gone. Ignoring the bowing man, Ine steps through the door with me close on her heels. Being outside is what I'm here for after all.

We go to a few more places like it. At these, however, I'm made to wait at the door rather than being in the center of attention. It's fine. Walking between the places allows me to get used to these damn things. It's such a difference when I walk, it feels wrong. I'm not going to give up, I like how little sound I make, but it's a frustrating thing to get used to. Ine barely speaks to me during this, which is also fine. It's more interesting to observe humans than to interact with one.

There are more people on the street by now, but people are still barely paying attention. It's not until we reach a bigger building and step inside that people truly see us again. At the door is a young man who looks truly happy to see Ine. He is startled when he sees me, but quickly recovers. Inside Ine is welcomed by a female of her age and the two share a smile. The female is also startled when she sees me. Instead of pretending it never happened like the male outside, she studies me with curiosity. 

"We've heard the rumors, Ine, but is this...." she begins.

"Yes Lea, this is," Ine answers with a sigh before handing over the packages she has collected on the way here. "Please take care of this, I'm going to show Gal around the house."

The entry hall has a big staircase in the middle and a corridor straight ahead as well as to the sides. It reminds me a lot of the place where Ara still is. Suddenly reminded of Ara, I check on my awareness of her. Everything seems to be fine. I send her my discomfort with the things on my limbs and around my neck. To my surprise, she sends back a very similar sensation about her and new clothes and I can't help but grin. Seems we have something in common there.

Ine is at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for me. I follow her up and down a corridor. Along the way, Ine points at doors and rattles off what they are. Study, library, drawing room, the master bedroom which smells empty, Ara's bedroom which also smells empty and Bertholf's room, which is the only one that smells like someone sleeps there. I'm not going to ask how a sleeping place can belong to someone if there is no-one sleeping there.

Ine takes me into the room she says belongs to Ara. There is a platform at about hip-height in one corner which is too small for a human to sleep. Ine points at it and speaks. "This is your place to sleep or stay out of the way. Now." Her face turns serious again. "Have you been hiding anything else? Remember, we're trying to make you look less dangerous, which is hard when you keep growing lethal weapons on your body."

I'm flattered by her words. I won't turn down an invitation to show off now, especially if I won't get to do so any time soon with Ara. I know they've seen most of my sharp bits, but I can't remember if they know about my saliva. Thinking about eating a pill-bug helps me salivate, but now I need to find something which will show it properly. I can smell something metal under the pillow on the bed. Rather, I can smell the oils humans use on their metal. I think Ine is mildly surprised I sniffed the item out from where it was hidden, but she is more surprised when I take the hilt in my mouth. After waiting for a few moments I drop it again. My saliva isn't as strong here it seems, as the leather and metal are barely marked, but it's enough to demonstrate its use.

Ine inspects the dagger, still in its sheath and lets out a 'tsk'. "That could be useful. Is that it?"

She doesn't seem impressed or shocked, which is a slight disappointment, but she acknowledges it as useful. Maybe I can ask her to teach me how to spit? It takes me a moment to notice Ine is waiting for a reply. "That's it."

"Wrong. Remember! Sound stupid. Just nod, or tilt your head in confusion first, that is common in most races." Ine gives an example with accompanying facial expressions. "If you do speak, use one word if you can get away with it, two at most. Mispronounce as often as you can get away with. Don't worry about people understanding you, that's what we are for. Got it?"

It's a lot at once and it surprised me with how sudden she brought it up. I almost answer, but catch myself. Tilting my head, I make a crooning sound.

Ine smiles in response. "Very good. We'll make you stupid yet. The rest of the people here are going to be your training, it's up to you to fool them." Her smile turns into a grin. "Good luck."