Andreas dipped his head under the water, washing the blood off of his face and out of his hair. He wiped his face with a towel when he came back up. “Well, you know how I dislike noise,” he said, alluding, basically, to children. “But I owe you plenty of favors, and if you need a safe place to keep your pups while this is getting sorted out, my doors are open.”<br/><br/>Asalia came in, telling him his first guest was here and, more importantly, that she’d taken care of the bodies outside. “No coffee,” he said, climbing out of the bath and drying himself. “Tea maybe.”<br/><br/>She’d brought fresh clothes for him, which he donned before making his way to the dining room. The middle-aged farmer came to attention when his Lord walked into the room.<br/><br/>“Lord Sordid!” the man said, standing abruptly and giving an awkward bow.<br/><br/>“Yes, yes; formalities,” Andreas muttered, taking his seat and waving his hand impatiently. “You came to make a sales offer, is that right?”