"His honor was nice. He offered to dry me and my things, but I was worried about--if my zither is wet, drying all at once might damage it worse. I'd like to be able to get it out and check on it, but there's nowhere dry enough to risk removing the oilcloth." It's far and away her most valuable possession, even aside from it being the way she earns her living, so it's very much her first concern. "I don't know if I could climb flooded stairs, but... are you sure? It's-- you don't have to?" She doesn't like being a metaphorical burden, let alone a literal one. She knows how little she has to offer in this situation.

"I would like to sit down somewhere that wasn't a puddle," she adds wistfully.