"I'll take them." Hazel accepts the armful. "You look lovely. As for construction and engineering tools... what sort of tools did you have in mind? I'm not sure the city will have everything you're looking for, but if you're looking for something most people don't have, the city is often a good place to start."

"The typical sorts of things for large contruction and repair, to start: hammer, saw, chisel, screwdriver, drill, planes, and so on. Possibly also the tools for finer work, things like pliers, wire cutters, and the like. That's just an initial guess, though. I'll probably dabble in lots of things as time goes on."

She holds up the bag of onions. "Where would you like these? Also, any chance I can hold onto the bag?"

"Let me check the state of my pantry—just a moment." They vanish through a door, emit some drawer-sliding and cupboard-opening noises, and then return through the same door a few moments later minus the armful of clothes. "Yes, I can put those away and give you the bag back. Another moment." Door, rustle rustle clunk clunk, and they're back with the bag, de-onioned although it still contains a few round lumps which are presumably the oranges. "I think your best bet is probably the city. I have a few of those things myself, but I couldn't afford to lend them out; I need them in case of unexpected house repairs."

"Entirely reasonable," she nods and puts the canvas bag in her main satchel. "I'll just have to sort myself out for dinner and someplace to stay the night, then figure out enough snacks for that long of a walk. Do you think the city is likely to have work for a handywoman?"

"I imagine it might. I haven't been there in years, though, so it's not wise to rely on my understanding in detail. I recommend staying with Lily if your intent is to stock up on supplies; she's very generous with her produce if you help her harvest it."

"Sounds like a plan, then. I may come back very curious about alchemy at some point, but I think for now my last question is what I can do to convince you to part with a few of whatever would swap out my lower equipment, along with what sorts of things you tend to want on the regular so we could keep trading in the future?"

"I am always on the lookout for obscure or interesting transformation items. Particularly honey from the bee girls, at the moment, though I do have another source of that. If you'll be traveling through the desert, I also have a particular interest in the desert witches' transformation spells, and would happily pay you for clippings of your hair after they transform it—and of course I could restore this colour for you, free of charge, though if you want to restore its length after donating some to me you will need to find the goblin hair salon in the foothills of the mountains. And pay them in semen, the only currency they accept. Speaking of which, yes, I can offer you some targeted transformatives for that purpose."

They rummage in a few drawers and come up with two handfuls of eggs, smaller and harder than the Starburst-like pink ones. One is pale pink with darker pink swirls; the other, pale blue with darker blue swirls.

"These will provide the transformation you desire. They won't spoil but they're very sugary so I recommend keeping them dry; if some of each kind run together they may produce... mixed results. So to speak."

"Thank you! I'll keep those options in mind, and try to have one or more of those on hand next time I pass by."

She accepts the eggs and rifles through her bag, eventually finding a few small plastic bags. She separates the eggs into two of them, and then stores them away, before taking out her notebook and pen and jotting a quick note about Hazel's interests and future tradables. That done, she puts it all away.

"You've quite literally changed my life, Hazel. Thank you."

"Happy to help!" they say cheerfully. "Those bags are fascinating; are they from your world? I've never seen the like. What are they made of? May I have—no, I imagine you don't want to give up a small sample for alchemical analysis—"

"Plastic, an absurdly versatile material that can be produced with many different properties, but whose production takes an enormous industrial base and tends to produce rather a lot of environmental pollution. They're derived from petroleum, an oil found deep undergroud. You can take a small sample off the open end, as long as you're careful not to damage the rest of the bag."

She holds up one bag, open end extended toward them.

They nod eagerly and rummage in some drawers to come up with a small pair of sewing scissors, with which they clip a neat little folded triangle out of the top of the bag, careful not to pull or tear the fragile material. "Thank you very much. Depending on the results of my analysis, I might want to buy these bags from you later, or trade them for other storage items. Deep underground, you say? I'm not sure whether to expect to find any in Mareth. It's never been clear to me exactly which natural resources are common between worlds and which are not."

"I'd be glad to trade them for other storage items. They're just my only waterproof storage option at the moment, so I'm rather glad I had a few. Don't want to ruin these eggs, y'know?"

"Of course! Very sensible. I will see what I can spare in that regard once I've determined the basic properties of their material essence."

"Sounds great. Now I've got three reasons to come back and visit. I guess you're doomed to see me again, then. Off I head for now, and thanks again!"

"Farewell! I look forward to seeing you again!"

And with a happy smile on her face, and a bone-deep feeling of relief pervading her entire body, Sable sets out back around the lake to find Palla.

<Goodness. This feels ridiculously amazing, finally being in a proper body.>

<It really does, beloved. You deserve it,> Maya replies, with a chorus of agreement from the other Pirates.

<Maybe if this perk thing keeps going, we'll find something that lets us give y'all bodies too. I'm certainly going to try, at least.>

<Hope springs eternal. I'm just glad we've finally gotten out of that tired old masculine body,> Hailey adds with a smile.

And, chatting happily amongst themselves, they make their way and admire the scenery.

There's no trouble finding Palla's hut this time; it's right where Lily said it should be, on the northeast shore of the lake within ten sandy feet of the water, virtually impossible to miss. It's small and round, with a thatched roof over walls that look like wicker, neatly woven. Next to it is a blanket, and on the blanket is a muscular otter-girl, her brown fur short and sleek, her brown hair short and spiky. She appears to be taking a nap, stretched out with her head pillowed on her arms and her long sleek tail sweeping gently back and forth in time with her snores. She isn't wearing any clothes.

Next to her blanket is a crude sign, a piece of driftwood set upright in the sand with another piece of driftwood tied to it and painted with a simple message. The letters are too faded to make out at a glance, but could probably be deciphered with some careful attention.

Well. That's an enjoyable sight. Let's examine that sign real quick.

The sign, closely examined, turns out to say FISH & FUCK.

The otter-girl yawns, stretching out her whole body as she does. "I smell oranges," she says sleepily.

"You do smell oranges! I was hoping to trade some oranges for some fresh fish," Sable replies with a smile. "Had a nice nap?"

"Mhm! Give 'em here," she says, sitting up and holding out her hands. "You staying to eat, or just taking the fish and running?"

"Tempting, so tempting, but I really have to run. Hopefully I can stay next time, though?"

Pretty ottergirl is pretty, news at eleven. Do not stare, just keep it to a single appreciative glance. Instead, she pulls the oranges out of her bag and tosses them over to Palla.

She sets them down on her blanket, yawns and stretches again, and then nods. "'kay. Back in a few."

She slips into the water with barely a ripple and is soon out of sight, a dark shape moving under the surface.

<Well. Is it just me, or is everyone here hot?>, Hailey asks.

<Pretty sure it's not just you.>

She waits patiently, smiling.

A few minutes later, she's back, with her fingers hooked in the gills of a pretty silver-scaled fish nearly as long as her arm. She hauls it up out of the water and presents it to Sable with a flourish. "Pleasure doing business. Have a drink of water before you go, if you need, the barrel's clean and I have cups." (There's a covered barrel next to her hut.)