[quote=@Tatterdemalion][b]Coleman, Jackdaw![/b]

You get what you need at a significant discount, Coleman! These folks want you to be on your way as quickly as possible. It shouldn’t be any trouble at all to assemble a rudimentary barge out of what’s available, and then waterproof Sasha on top of that.

Pay a price, Coleman, seeing as you’re doing this the proper and civilized way, and offering up proper trade. Listen to Sasha’s contented rumble as you take the soft way through.[/quote]

He has knowledge and tools to trade, approximate knowledge of many things. And that's useful, since Gargling Joe's had that wagon with the bad axle, and oh, could you take a look at this coffee pot that Rufftuff dredged up? And he can, of course he can! He's made do with less.

But they want Sasha out of the camp.

They strike a compromise, eventually. He's not willing to work where he can't see his train, can't keep an eye on her, ensure she doesn't start to wander. But that means that he does his work at the edge of camp. As he picks apart the coffee machine, Sasha clicks, groans, and twitches, settling but still uneasy. Small catfish children make a game of getting as close as they can before the train moves again, sending them scattering. Let them play, and maybe the elders will come around.

Speaking of elders... He looks across the coffee machine at the bewhiskered fish in front of him. "Where'd you pull this from again?"