just another dirty wolf in a crowd

@"Appren"

Adder's ears flicked in relief, and his stomach growled in agreement. "I can almost guarantee I've eaten worse," he muttered, falling in beside Shi. It wasn't a hard guarantee either; he had proven his stomach to be able to tolerate things that would make actual humans sick or uncomfortable on a purely physical level.

He'd still had to get over the taste himself, of course, but desperation makes for a flexible palate as much as flexible morals.

@"Appren"

Adder had been in stores before. Of course he had. It wasn't as if he'd never had any money at all before; he found things to sell sometimes, or found money. Or stole one or both. He was pretty opportunistic that way.

He huffed at Shi, distracted by scanning the available food options and running math in his head. He might not know calculus or logarithms but he was decent with the math he had to use. This money had to cover food as well as warmer clothing, and clothing was expensive. And not just now-food, but food overall.

"I know how to spend money efficiently," he muttered, still scouting out his options and building a list of things to grab, constantly shuffling the order and quantities and high-value items. After one pass of the aisles, though, he turned back and collected a small armload of shelf-stable, nutrient-dense foods. His tally was around twelve dollars and food for two weeks, if he wasn't too energetic and active.

@"Appren"

"Spending money isn't the same as getting money," he muttered. Shi didn't seem to get that at all, and just look at what she was buying. Things that tasted good but had limited nutritional value and definitely no long-term value. A burst of energy, that was all.

Adder brought his dense foods up to the counter and reluctantly pulled out a bill to pay for it. He brought out that bill without revealing the rest, or noticeably working to separate them. Casual tricks that reduced risk on those occasions where Adder had actual money.

@"appren"

Adder's grip on the plastic bag - double bagged to keep the cans and heavier items from tearing through - was a bit tighter than it needed to be as he left the store. He was a little too aware of everything going on around him, way now that he had something to protect.

He did his best to keep his mood internal, though, and pulled out a package that didn't require tools to open once he saw that there weren't any open threats to his food outside. Not that it was exposed for long; he ate faster than just quickly, barely tasting the plain food but geeking it in his stomach. That was what he wanted and needed.