[quote=@MonsieurShade]
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Al pushed his bottom lip up against his top in such a way that pushed it out, and exhaled through his nose in a defeated fashion as he crumpled the letter up and put it in his still sopping wet jacket pocket. He returned the small nod from Cain with a large, ponderous nod of his own, looking quite like a horse or a donkey moving its head up and down. What was there to do but follow the instructions of the 'Lord' of the area? He had been dealing with lords and ladies and kings and queens and regents and dukes and duchesses and earls and counts and countesses of all sorts for the many, many years that he had been alive. He knew how these types were, cross them or fail to dance to the tune that matched their fancy, and they were extremely liable to make everything an uphill battle on a river without a paddle.

Cain's question hit him slightly harder than he expected a question to, as he was reminded about his farm and how much he missed it. He hoped the hands and the animals were alright. [i]'Wait, of course they are alright,'[/i] he reminded himself. [i]'Augeas didn't fame them for their wonderful coats, after all.'[/i] Alcaeus took a slow breath in and shook his head, looking over at Cain with a knowing stare. With a smile, he spoke frankly. "Well there buddy, when you've lived quite as long as I have, the slowly shifting form of Mother Gaia becomes one of the most beautiful things a man can ever experience. All over the world is weird and wonderful, from the snow-dusted plains of Moesia to the shifting sands of Aegyptus. Maybe you should come down to the farm when all this is over. Might even let you milk a cow or muck out the stables. Was there anything specific you wanted to know?"