<div style="text-align: center">《 Alvaro 》​</div><i>Location: Hale's office<br/>
Addressing: Hale</i><br/><br/>"Yeah, yeah, for sure, Senor Raymond," Alvaro broke into a wide warm grin and returned the friendly sentiment. "It's been way too long, but the peace of the garden house is nice and I know you're a busy man so I hesitate to come unannounced. It's great to be here now, though."<br/><br/>He accepted the decanter with a cordial nod and poured himself two fingers of the fine liquor. Senor Hale would offer nothing less when they got together. That hadn't changed with the upheaval of everything, and it was a detail Alvaro appreciated. He enjoyed a couple of sips as Hale casually brought up the culling.<br/><br/>"Oh, yeah, I remember that," he pointed at Hale with glass in hand and nodded emphatically. "Ahhh, so that's what the chaos is today. Is it going well? Need an extra hand? Eye from above?" Alvaro offered his services with a willing shrug. It seemed that wasn't what he had been called for, though, and soon Hale was directing his attention to the woman being detained a few yards away. He listened with his gaze fixed on the woman as Hale explained her indiscretions. He sipped his drink and scratched at the grain of the desk with his other hand. He wanted a cigarette, but Americans had some loco notion that smoking in offices was bad and he never pressed Hale for the luxury of lighting up.<br/><br/>He stared at her for a long time after Hale had finished. Perhaps unsettling for her, but completely normal in the scope of his many oddities. "Hn. A liar, huh? Manipulator?" He finally pulled his gaze from her back to Hale. He drained the rest of his drink and poured a finger more. "I'm sure you still feel the loss of my boss, your old business partner, my friend. He was plagued by a lying manipulator, you know. I doubt he ever told you that story and can't remember if I ever did. But yeah..." his gaze followed back to the woman. "A lying, manipulating bitch took advantage of him, tried to pull him down for her gain. Tsk. Tsk." he shook his head and turned to look a Hale again.<br/><br/>"You know I completely agree that can't stand. I got time to do some art and the ideas are already coming." he punctuated the cheeky statement with an understated flourish of inspiration. "And you're good with all the creative liberties? We know I can be pretty creative sometimes." he chuckled and slid his glance back to the woman for a moment and then stood. He finished the drink he had poured and set the glass on the table. "Maybe a couple of men here would like to take her to my basement studio? I can get started right away. But while we're waiting for that, tell me how have you and your family been?" He was seamlessly back into casual conversation.