Something Borrowed

Nel made her way home after her latest fight. She'd taken a dive, which wasn't all bad. There was a small sack of ten gold in it to make it worth her while and pretending to be knocked out wasn't nearly as bad actually getting knocked out.
 
Rent was paid for the month and there was enough to eat. She would set aside a bit to help Gertrud pay her application fee to the Artificer's Guild, but that still left a a bit of extra. She thought about buying more books and supplies for the school, or some treats for the kids or some more pots for the garden. But then she saw Phineas Howard.
 
Phineas was a satyr immigrant from Avalon, and newly married to Stanislaw Kowalski, a Patlovian harengon. The wedding had been a sweet affair. He and his new husband had exchanged vows at the Old Women's Day celebration in the Warrens and danced the night away, just three nights ago. He had looked thunderstruck at his good fortune, wearing a goofy grin the whole night.
 
But right now Phineas's face was grim and tight and he hurried toward a building Nel knew well. The second floor of one the few brick buildings in the Warrens was where Razor Eddy ran his loan business. The decision was made before she even had time to consciously think it through. She sprinted towards the satyr, grabbing his arm and pulling him around a corner and out of sight of Razor Eddy's window.
 
"Mr. Howard, you're going to Razor Eddy? Why?"
 
Phineas, startled and miserable, shakes his head. "I got no choice, Miss Nel. My Stanislaw was doing a roofing job and fell and I got to pay the healer. We're good for it -- we can pay it back before Eddy sends someone to collect. I just got a job at the factory."
 
"How much do you need?"
 
"Nine gold," he says, shaking his head at the impossible sum. "I really need to hurry, Miss Nel," he says, moving to step around her.
 
Nel takes the pouch out of her pocket, taking one gold piece out and putting it in her pocket to put towards Gertrud's application, and puts the rest into his hand.
 
Phineas blinks, looking between the pouch and Nel.
 
"It's nine gold, Mr. Howard. Take it and stay away for Razor Eddy," she whispers. "You'll pay at least three times what you borrowed in interest if you get it from him."
 
"I---thank you -- I'll pay you back!" he says, relief flooding his face.
 
The idea forms in Nel's heart and makes it out of her mouth before her brain can tell her any reason it's unwise.
 
"No," she shakes her head. Don't pay it back -- pay it forward. Once you got the nine gold, you do this for someone else who needs a loan -- on the same conditions -- that they help someone else in the same way. We're strong together, ain't we?"
 
He nods and shakes her paw.
 
"Now hurry back to your husband and the healer," she says.
 
He nods again and turns and runs back.
 
She watches him go and walks back towards home, saying a silent prayer to Eosphorus that nobody from the Organization overheard the exchange, and that the small pouch of gold keeps as many people as possible from darkening Razor Eddy's door.