Thread and weave...

I've heard where you're from there are many kinds of silk; would you have the time and patience to tell a bit about them?

I think my wardrobe needs some fresh fibres...

The first thing you need to know around Whitish City is that asking for "silk" isn't really much more descriptive than saying "cloth". In fact nearly everything textile you'll see is silk of some kind. We only have a very few plant and animal fibres and they're all cheap and horrible. There are about fifteen main species of insect bred for silk and a lot more different varieties of processed fibre coming out of them. Luxury stuff, waterproof, hollowfibre winter clothing - it all depends what you're looking for.

If you're shopping in Whitish, stick to the upper artisans' districts, about halfway up the slope. The best clothing shops are all run by couples called Epiaune [Weft pronounces the middle vowels "ee-yow"], which means Tailor. I don't mean that they're all blood relations: having a trade surname is a bit like an honorific or a certificate proving you're top quality. Using the name without being licensed is horribly illegal, so you can trust that anyone calling himself Tailor is what he says he is. Um, what else. You shouldn't be pressured into buying anything at respectable places and they won't overcharge - prices are centrally controlled - but for the same reason, don't bother trying to haggle.

As far as fashions go, the best advice is to look and ask around when you get there. Find a good shop during a quiet time of day and ask for a consultation. What else? You'll find it hard to find winter clothes since it's the middle of summer, of course, but if you look around for specialist places you could strike lucky. Anything else?

Thanks a lot. I don't want to impose on your time, but if you'd like to explain more some time - anything, really, like, are all those insects caterpillars - I'd love to listen.

Moth caterpillars, one species of chullic - erm, probably the closest word is "termite" or something - and spiders.