I've been infected with a terminally stupid g/t brainrot.
Picture this- a borrower has their worst nightmare come true: they're spotted by a human.
Undeniably so- like right out in the open.
Though unexpectedly, the persons reaction is only mildly surprised. Like how one might go "Oh!" After finding a long lost item, or when a neighbor drops off a little gift. A strikingly mundane amount of surprise.
"Oh- you're here for the shoes, right?"
In utter disbelief the borrower just goes along with it. The human has clearly heard legends of various smallfolk. Bonus points if the human is heavily mixed/influenced by a ton of cultures (Irish fae, Iroquois little people etc..) but all their grandparents told them different legends/folklore so they have this weird Frankenstein belief system that's just WAY off base.
And somehow the borrower has let themselves get coerced into fixing shoes in exchange for fresh cream and loose change.
DOUBLE BONUS POINTS- at some point, the human accidentally lets their name slip and is convinced the borrower now owns them or something. The borrower is FULLY willing to take advantage of this.
Elvis Presley signs autographs for fans at the CBS-TV Studio 50 stage door, New York, on March 17, 1956. Elvis was there for a performance on the Dorsey Brothers’ Show; it was the fifth of his six appearances on that TV show.