Josselyn had lost most sensitivity in her fingertips ages ago. Once a person burned themselves so many times while stripping fur from a skin or tanning a hide... well, there were drawbacks to her profession. What she had learned to become excellent at was warning other people about hot things. She'd learned the hard way when she picked up a heating iron from the fire to mark her insignia on a hide. Her apprentice at the time followed her lead and attempted to do the same. Before Josselyn could stop her, the poor child had blistered, angry hands. Her parents were highly displeased. Last Josselyn heard, the girl had taken up with a clothier instead. All the same. Some people weren't cut out for furring and tanning -- it was a messy business.
Upstairs, Josselyn sidestepped an end table beside her bed. Her own cauldron was bubbling over a lit fireplace upstairs -- a luxury that she had forked over coin and goods for happily. Two fireplaces in one household was not exactly the norm, but it kept her place warmer than some, allowed her easy sleeping even with her proximity to the main street and the edge of town.
Glancing over her shoulder, Josselyn noted that Asher was at attention in the doorway, staring down at the guests. She smirked at the wulfkind's aggression. Let him have it now. It was good for him to work out some of his need to fight through glaring and snarling -- better that than biting a nobleman. If he did, there was no doubt in Josselyn's mind that she would be fashioning a fur cape from her beloved companion's hide before the sun set on that day.
There was a flat wall broken only by a window on the far side of Josselyn's room. She crossed to it, fishing a key from beneath the neckline of her dress. For all intents and purposes, the wall before her appeared to be just that: a wall. But when Josselyn slipped her key into what looked like a knick in the wood finish, a lock snapped and a hidden door swung open.
In this part of town, precautions had to be taken.
Pushing past other fine garments and various private valuables, Josselyn gingerly pulled free a long fur-and-hide coat. It was among the finer ones she had made, but Sir Bantok was willing to pay for it in addition to providing a great number of the skins that went into its construction. The hide was tanned, softened, and then bolstered by layer after layer of fur. There were no cracks for an icy wind to sneak through, no flaws in her work that would provide him the slightest bit of discomfort. Though the skill in the delicate weaving of fur over fur was hidden on the inner lining of the coat, the suppleness of the leathery outer layer was truly a sign of Josselyn's skill. It bent nearly like cloth but maintained the thickness and structure of a well cured hide. Josselyn had even go so far as to "weatherproof" the coat... well, at least as much as was possible.
This coat was the product of nearly a month of labor. It showed.
After taking a moment to admire her work, Josselyn moved back to the doorway. Asher went ahead of her, a little doggy-shield. There was a brass hook on the wall at the end of the table where Audrey and Zac were enjoying coffee. Josselyn hung the coat from it and then turned to face the pair, saying nothing.
