"A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, these things are gifts. A copper tub? That is not a gift, that is a debt to be paid." It was not that he was so proud as to say he wouldn't accept charity if that was the intent- but that he knew it was not the case. It was never the case. There were always expectations, always a cost- and all he could offer men like Michel was his body. Whatever this nebulous thing between them might be-

He would not have it tarnished by debts, by grandiose gestures- by being purchased or paid. Jonas had paid him, for the most part. The gold and silver had been enough to keep himself well armed, warm, and fed along with the rest of their merry band. "I was raised among whores. There is no shame in such a thing but I am not that. Not anymore."

For the Crows he was whatever they needed to be. For his own safety he spent the coin that was his skin for Taliesin's protection, for their mutual favor that could be gained by fucking the right masters. No longer.