After agreeing on the price, Old John noticed the strange look on Shade's face and added:
"This price isn't taking much advantage of you, really. I can even throw in a new walking stick for free, and then we'll be even."
He pointed to the one hanging behind Shade on the shop wall as decoration. Its handle was shaped like a lion's head. The dust settled on it made it look very much like an antique:
"I guarantee that even if you ask around elsewhere, you won't get a better price than this. Come back and patronize my business next time, and I can give you a discount."
Shade stared wide-eyed at him. The old man, John Jones, smiled as he took ten one-pound notes from a biscuit tin beneath the counter:
"You can think it over carefully."
After several rounds of argument, Shade ultimately left with twelve pounds and five shillings, a new walking stick, and "membership" at Old John Pawnshop.
With enough money to pay this month's debts, Shade had basically solved every problem he had encountered since arriving in this world. A new life was beckoning to him, and he was filled with hope for the future. So when he returned home at noon, he packed up some food from a restaurant and shared the meal with Little Mia, the cat being boarded in his home.
Naturally, he only fed the cat things it could eat.
Shade found that being a detective might count as a home-based profession. He had not gone out on Thursday or Friday, merely staying home to read, yet he did not feel that his career development had been constrained at all. This made Shade quite satisfied with his career choice.
The two days of study had also been quite productive. Shade had