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Abbas held his gaze for a long moment, not saying anything.

Hmm, perhaps he was waiting for Hector to take the initiative. Uh. Shit. There were plenty of things to discuss, weren't there? He thrust his uncertainty into a background thought process as he tried to think about what to say.

This handshake was going on for a bit too long, Hector suddenly realized. He tried to pull his hand back, but Lord Abbas maintained his grip.

And the man tilted his head at him. "So I wasn't hallucinating," said Abbas.

Hector didn't know what was happening, right now. He tried to pull his hand back again, and this time, Abbas let him go.

"Everyone," said Abbas, apparently addressing the small crowd around them, "would you mind giving us a moment, please?"

A string of acknowledging murmurs ran through the onlookers, and a minute later, they had all dispersed. Only the handful of Rainlords remained behind, and Hector noticed that they were looking at him, as if expecting something.

Hmm.

He gave them a nod, and then they dispersed, too.

Abbas' gaze lingered on those departing Rainlords for a bit longer before returning to Hector again. "The Rain is very attached to you, it would seem. Asad did not mention that."

Again, Hector did not know what to say, so he merely remained quiet.

A mild smile crossed Abbas' face. "Perhaps he thought it too unbelievable. The idea that these frigid puddles would act so deferential to someone not of their own blood--if I had not seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, I may have simply thought him a fool."

Deferential? Eyes and ears? What exactly had he been seeing and hearing from the Rainlords over this past day, Hector wondered?