"Hob, then," Jojo says, smiling tentatively. "...I'd offer you the same except that my name doesn't shorten to anything that still feels like my name."

"Understandable. Most names do not admit of shortening quite so enthusiastically, between us Roberts and the Margarets and the Williams we're rather hoarding more than our share." Oh No He's So Small, Help. "And with that-- Lady Aribeth, is there anything else I can do for you before I re-arm," hopefully the enchantment voucher situation has been sorted while he was dead mildly stabbed, "and we go snake hunting?" He taps the glasses Fenthick delivered. 

"Hm. If you want some magic that isn't a weapon or armor or spectacles, you can talk to the quartermaster, he's got a side shop and we gave you enough gold to get a cloak of resistance or a ring of protection. Other than that, I think what you can do for me is hunt the snake at your earliest convenience."

Ooh, he would definitely like to go see the quartermaster and peer interestedly through the glasses at what other magic items do individually. Aribeth is also extremely magic but in the way where he really needs to ever have heard a single flute before he has a hope of identifying anything in a symphony. And... yeah, he'll try to make conversation about his home planet when they aren't obviously in a horrible time crunch. "Will do, cheers." 

To the magic shop! 

The quartermaster has such a collection of magical accessories! Rings and amulets and belts and boots and cloaks and headbands and gloves and –

lots of stuff. He's willing to explain anything. Most of the stuff is abjuration-blue, some of it transmutation-orange, a few pieces other colors. If he asks for items within his price range, he's presented with the expected ring of protection ("fouls a blade like a padded jerkin, but over your whole body") and cloak of resistance ("strengthens your will and your reflexes and your guts, just a bit"), plus a pair of slightly high-heeled leather boots with velvet soles, a phylactery with room for a scriptural verse inside, and a robe made, for some reason, out of an enormous length of twine.

Well that sure is... a set of things. 

Phylactery of psychically warning you if you're about to do heresy?? Probably incredibly useful, to be honest, but also terrifying, let's never think about it again.

"You know, I would be enormously tempted by the robe did I have any intention of going near any ships," he says instead, which is also true. "You would be amazed how frequently sailors will look at you like God's own gift from the sky if you happen to have a spare coil of twine in your pocket. But the sensible choice here is probably the ring of being stabbed less, all things considered?" He's looking at Jojo, who knows any things about magic items. 

"A ring of protection rarely goes amiss," Jojo agrees. "I have one myself, since I can't wear armor per se."

Nod nod. He'll pay the quartermaster for a ring out of the gold Aribeth gave him, then, and on their way they shall go. "Can't like it's too heavy," he wonders curiously, already halfway to an ambition to getting Jojo a modern bulletproof vest, "or can't like it's a religious prohibition, or can't like your magic is electromagnetic? ... erm, that last one means in this context, has problems with metal specifically."

"More that it's too rigid than too heavy; my training has developed my awareness of my body and perfect control of how it moves, and if I'm restricted at all, I lose a lot of the benefit. That's why my robes have to be so loose, or else skin-tight and... minimal." His ears go slightly pinker. "Which is a choice some monks make."

Do not ask the mouse boy why his species has a modesty instinct when they have fur even though that is anthropologically fascinating. Or... μυς-opologically? It's been a solid two centuries since he was socially expected to have studied Greek. Anyway the point is that would be rude.

"Ah, that makes sense. ... if you get a chance to visit my planet I am going to be very interested in your professional opinion on the combat viability, in this martial art tradition, of kevlar." By which he means he's going to get Jojo a shitton of it and then watch gleefully as he becomes a tiny terrifying force of -- damn he really is feeling so much kinship for Batman right now. That dude is so valid actually. 

"Is it some kind of... toughened cloth?"

"Yes and no! It's an exceptionally tough cloth but it doesn't get that way by doing something to an existing cloth, it gets that way by being made of synthetic-- that's to say, a kind of fiber that does not occur in nature but a brilliant chemist figured out how to make it anyway because she's amazing." Hob loves materials scientists. "I gotta remember to tell Eltoora about that one, she was so interested in my jacket." 

"Huh!"

Their compass vibrates as they cross Gulnan's trail, which apparently goes southeast, into the Beggar's Nest.