(a third time is the charm)
Caleb could tell that this was as far as he would get for now, and also knew that was probably for the better. He had confidence they would come to better terms eventually, but that was something this Caleb had experienced already - to take that away from himself felt unfair.
He snagged the books from Eadwulf and made his way to the nearby register to ring up the purchases with an ease of a man who had done this a million times over the years. Then, with an eyebrow raise and nod towards a bowl on the counter that contained a large number of lollipops. In Zemnian, he snarked, "Nehmen Sie einen Lutscher, es könnte Ihrer Stimmung helfen, an etwas zu lutschen."
Not the most professional moment of his life, but Caleb couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it.