Morwen blinked, caught off guard for a heartbeat before she remembered herself and the small purse tucked inside her threadbare winter coat. The total was only a few snips, but she counted them carefully into the fishmonger's calloused palm.
She supposed she looked a little reluctant, digging through her purse to find a few loose snips, but the truth was that she didn't carry more than a few strips from getting change in the markets, and the rest of her purse was full of small silver pennies that she didn't want the fishmonger to see.
The fishmonger swept the coins into his apron, passed Morwen a rough burlap sack containing their purchases, including the bucket full of heads and tails, before he turned to begin closing up his stall. Morwen held the sack at arm's length for a moment, wrinkling her nose at the smell, before Ashlynn gave her a look that suggested handmaidens didn't get to be squeamish about fish.
