"I'll walk with you, can you point out when we pass one? Oh, here, take the room key. I can do primitive locks like this one without them." And they walk out the room, out of the boarding house, down the street.

Aya takes the key and walks. Eventually: "There's a surgeon there on the right with the red sign. I don't know if she's exactly what you're looking for."

"She'll probably help. See you later." Steel goes in and asks if she might discuss medicine with the surgeon.

The surgeon is apparently busy sawing a screaming patient's leg off.

This is alarming! And worth using magic. "Excuse me! My embroidery can handle this a whole lot more cleanly!" And she looks at the leg - what's wrong with it, injury, infection?

"I can make such a cut in an instant, and cauterize it too! I won't even charge! He's suffering and I can help, please let me!"

"We don't barge into your place of work and steal your customers," says the assistant. "Set up your own shop."

Screw it. Magic. Steel leans around the assistant to get a good view, and safely out of the way goes the bonesaw, off goes the leg, closed go the blood vessels. "You're welcome, goodbye." She storms out, a bit wobbly, and runs after Aya.

"...Twenty," says the assistant, glowering at her.

"Fifteen."

"Twenty, you knitbrained little thief!"

"How did I steal anything from you? I didn't touch a thing in that-" Stop. Breathe in. Breathe out. Two gold coins come out of the pouch. "Only because I don't know if I actually broke a law. I hope we never meet again."

The assistant snatches the gold from her hand and stalks back to the surgeon's office.

Aya is back an hour later with a pot, some fruit, some flour and potatoes and nuts and eggs and cheese, and two outfits - she had to eyeball Steel's size, but she gets a long-sleeved pale green blouse and white linen pants, and Aya's in a fawn-colored dress. Steel also gets a pair of shoes. And some change.

Steel is still upset. "The state of medical care in this place is deplorable. I probably know twice as much about the body as that butcher. I've decided how to make money, I can open a surgery. Or maybe synthesize aspirin, an actually not-addictive painkiller. You have the right plants here, and I saw everything I need earlier. Ugh."

"That sounds like a good idea assuming your embroidery works as you expect."

"I probably saved their patient's life. He was going to die, he was losing losing way too much blood, so I didn't see the harm in trying. Don't know if it worked, though, they chased me out and I had to bribe the assistant to get away without calling any more attention than I already did. Who wants adventure, anyway? Adventures are unpleasant. At least you don't look like you had one."

"Perfectly ordinary shopping trip. I can make dinner."

"Sounds great, thanks. I've worked out the mechanism to get ink out of skin. I remember doing it a few years ago when I was still learning magic, but whether it will still work is another thing. There's more prep to do before I can try, though."

Aya smiles and brings some of the food downstairs to use the boardinghouse kitchen. She comes up with puffy cheesy bread and fruit compote.

Steel is standing in the corner, peering and occasionally waving at a spot of empty air near the floor. "This is the prep work," she explains, "Ooh, smells good. You probably want an explanation of what I'll be doing to wipe the tattoo before I do it, right?"