Tuur grabbed another thing from the basket."What's this then?"
Scrunching his nose, Eli looked at Thano to see if he would answer.He was cradling a handful of Jerusalem artichokes in one hand and holding the egg slicer in the other but was back to wearing his blank face, so Eli's guess would be no.
"It's a thing you use to hold an onion in place when you cut it.The pointy spikes go through it, and you chop away without risking cutting your fingers off."
Tuur hummed but put the onion holder back in the basket.Eli didn't blame him.It wasn't the most useful tool in the universe.
"This?"
Eli looked at the five rings tied together and almost reached for them."Canning rings."
Tuur shook his head in incomprehension.
"If you're canning food, you put a thin metal lid on the jar, then this on top while you boil it, then you remove them, and the metal lid will have sealed on the jar.It keeps the food from spoiling."
Tuur put them back, but Eli reached inside the basket and grabbed them.He'd buy them.He didn't have any lids, but maybe he could order some from New Town or Grave Ville at some point.
"This?"Tuur ran his fingers over the metal mesh of a skimmer.
"Skimmer.To either remove things on the surface if you make jam or something or to lift things in and out of boiling water."
Tuur turned it around in his hand, curled his fingers around the handle, and waved it a little."I'll take it.I also want something Romeo can plant.Something like the knobbly things Thano got."
"Oh."Eli looked around."I'm not sure, not all plants produce seeds in the first year."
Tuur narrowed his eyes and reached behind Thano to the island in the middle of the shop and grabbed an onion."What about this?"
"If you plant it, the onion won't grow, but I believe there will be a flower that will produce seeds."
"Good."He grabbed four more, and Eli nodded.As long as he was happy.
* * * *
Chapter 6
Thano and Tuur followed Eli to the bank, made the transaction for the things they'd bought, and then waited while Eli deposited the day's money and did whatever it was you needed to do when you ran a business.
Tuur was cradling five onions while holding his metal skimmer like a weapon ready to smack anyone who came close.Thano wasn't sure what he'd use the skimmer for since he didn't think Tuur cooked, but maybe he was wrong.He'd never been in his den, so he didn't know if he had a kitchen or not.Some breed did, others did not.
Most of them had wood-burning stoves since they hadn't been connected to the grid for the last thirty years.It wasn't until Romeo arrived last year that their electricity had come back on again.
Thano had a kitchen.Or it was more like a kitchenette since it was part of his main room.He had the main room on the bottom floor, and his bedroom on the upper floor.It was perfect for him.
Eli walked toward them, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the rings he'd taken from the basket.Thano was curious about what he was going to do with them.He had put aside a handful of the Jerusalem artichokes underneath the counter, saying he'd take them tomorrow since he didn't have time to plant them today anyway and didn't want to carry them to the bank.
"I'm ready."He looked nervous, and Thano glanced at Tuur to see if he looked scary.He looked broody, but he most often did...and was.
"Let's go then."Thano exited the bank, but not before noting how everyone working there was staring at them.He turned around, and every single one got busy moving things around or inspecting something on the wall.Humans.
The evening breeze greeted them outside and although the sun hung low in the sky, it would be a couple of hours before it set.He turned toward the square only to see Eli hesitate.
"We're parked on the square."
"Can I...leave these at home before we go?"He held up the metal rings.
"Sure."It made sense not to want to carry them around.Though why hadn't he left them in the shop with the knobbly tubers?
"Maybe you should wait here.I'll be back in a minute."
