"Why is that?"

"To make a walking chair I just have to make it able to move and respond to obstacles, probably also hear so I can snap my fingers to call it over. It'd still be a pain in the neck to program, but straightforward. One that could cut hair would have to be able to see, handle scissors without stabbing me in the neck, and tell whether my hair looked right and take actions to neaten it up where it didn't. Without going overboard and leaving me completely bald or something. If for some reason I decide I've got to have a golem that can cut hair I might as well go the whole hog and make one that can talk intelligibly, the works."

"That sounds like a very very complicated project. With the magic known to us it would take many Ages; I assume yours is faster, but still. You could also probably just find a discreet haircutter, if it's that important."

"Eh, I can probably just set up mirrors and cut it myself. But I could do a talking humanoid golem in, what, fifteen, twenty of my years? I'm pretty good at golems."

"...wow. That is very, very impressive. Are talking humanoid golems common, where you're from?"

"No, because they take fifteen, twenty years, longer if you're not very good at golems, that's a long time to a human, and you can just get a barber to cut your hair! But they're a thing, I've seen some."

"I am very disappointed that it doesn't seem we can learn your magic." They get Kib fitted for pants. People in the streets keep offering Kib jewelry.

"Me too. How do I politely decline jewelry. I'm not really a jewelry person," Kib murmurs.

"I'm all right, thank you," he says. "I have never met anyone who is not a jewelry person. Is that a human thing?"

"Some humans are jewelry people. I'm just not one of them. It seems kind of pointless?"

"The Eldar generally find looking pretty to be very satisfying. And some jewelry is magic."

"How can you tell if it's magic? Or what it does?"

"Things handed to you in the street will not be magic, magic things take a long time to make and are usually designed for someone, or at least kept so people can go get them at need, not just handed out like diamonds or anything. You can't usually tell what something magic does without either a lot of knowledge of our magic or the help of the creator, though it's often obvious. Lots of things glow, or heat up, or warn the bearer of danger. Someone might actually have a ring for graceful movement, I should ask around.'

"'Handed out like diamonds'," Kib repeats. "Diamonds are hard to come by, my world."

"Then you are welcome to take as many as you'd like home with you."

"Nifty. Startup money."

"By that you mean that you would be able to exchange the diamonds for the goods you need to track down the secretive baby-stork-golem maker?"

"...I mean I'd sell the diamonds for money which I could then translate into near-arbitrary goods and services which, yes, might eventually lead me to the storkmaker."

"I am sure I will get the idea eventually. Your clothes won't be ready today, I've asked one of my brothers who isn't done growing to bring me things that might be around the same size for the meantime. Shall we get paper? That was the other thing you desired immediately, right?"

"Yes it was."

Another store has paper, and ink, and things that look like calligraphy pens, and extremely pretty paperweights.

Lovely.

Maitimo recommends things and smiles at people. He seems to know literally everyone's names. He explains who Kib is a lot. He projects translations while he's talking in Quenya.

Kib is not that great at languages, but he picks up 'hello' and 'thank you' and such with only a mildly terrible accent.

And there is quite a lot of city to meander through, and it is quite pretty, and would Kib like to sit in on this concert for the next few songs - the music is stunning - and the lights change in the sky and the day slips by.