Well I've got thick skin and an elastic heart

She'd been playing with the idea ever since Mardi Gras, when Aggie hadn't been able to stop looking at all the beautiful and opulent jewelry. More and more in Darrow, she's becoming aware of the things that other girls her age might accept as a given that, for her, had been unforgivable vanities in Blithe Hollow. Now it's a source of curiosity and something she wants for herself, especially after one of the girls at school had actually taken a seat with Aggie at lunch, wearing delicate earrings she had made by hand with beads and wire.

Getting her ears pierced requires a guardian's signature, which is what brings her to Krem's door. There's money in her bag and a carefully rehearsed list of reasons in case he objects. Knocking on the door, she waits.