… I’m pretty sure that’s a backwards arrangement with the merchants, Claude. Aren’t you supposed to be paying them?

[ Still. He lets the man ramble, his amusement only growing in dark eyes as Claude gets carried away - as he frequently does - with one idea after the other.

And then he just takes a deliberate sip of his own drink, hiding his smile behind the rim. ]

Or I could just keep working with what I have until I get a better grasp of what I’m doing, rather than overwhelming myself with too many options.