Again he listened, an ear twitching toward some distant sound and remaining there, on alert. His gaze did not waver from Doru, and at length--again when the stranger had finished speaking--he considered.

"You lack empathy?" he asked, and it was an innocent enough question given context a moment later. "Is this why you don't want to raise a child-?" Then he sat back, turning his gaze upon the ceiling, a sigh escaping him. It was a thoughtful sound. "If the child inherits that trait, and your power, no doubt it might be dangerous to raise. But you don't want to just leave it to fate, you say-?" he asked, turning his attention back on Doru.

He didn't mention what had been said before, didn't address the perceived insult or apology, as though it were water swept beneath a bridge. "Though if it inherited that power, of course I imagine it could fend for itself. Mm... I do have allies who might aid in raising it; they might find such a friend useful."

He tried to imagine The Piano raising a child. Unsurprisingly, he could not.

Archimedes gave the question, and its offer, all the due consideration that he ought to.

"It is a responsibility, of course, but I am... capable." A warning expression crossed his features briefly, the faintest furrowing of brows--the most expression he had yet shown--as a single paw gestured toward the stone. "The magic can fail, though. If you did not know."

"No, no, nothing terrible. We are merchants, nothing more; but our travels afford us adventure, at the very least. The child would not be bored."

The rat winked, then, as if boredom were the most terrible of fates.

"As for the emotions, I do not know that it matters so much. We are all different," he added, with an agreeable, companionable sort of tone. Then he sat up, looking around. The snake, as if on cue, lifted its head higher, turning left to right as if slowly scanning the cave, its forked tongue flicking out to taste the air. It was clear that Archimedes, and his familiar both, were inspecting all of Polaris.

"This cave itself is not a bad location. It's powerful. It suits you, mm? And it would be an auspicious start. But... hidden, safe. Under that overhang over there would do?" he suggested, nodding off toward a low slab of rock leading to a small crevice in the wall. It would have had enough space for a creature even Doru's size, but it was shadowed, not so easily noticed.

Undoubtedly the rat was familiar with hiding and moving in such spaces; he seemed to have picked it out of the near-dark easily enough.

Archimedes didn't hop down from the snake, but the Charger did turn and slither slowly some distance behind Doru. The reptile seemed unhurried, and Archimedes in no rush to press it to go faster.

The rat seemed almost idle, in fact, unconcerned although certainly attentive. His attention wasn't wandering, at least.

Whatever he was actually thinking, or feeling, he kept to himself. Perhaps it wouldn't make great conversation, but Doru didn't seem to be focused on talking now regardless. It was time for magic, instead.