When Alistar arrived at home, he wasn't surprised to find that Caedmon was out of the house. Oddly enough, he wasn't much in the mood for reading, so he sought out Madeline and Patricia, and insisted on helping them with their daily duties. If life on the working line had taught him anything, it was that having a task to complete distracted from the concept of time. So long as he kept busy, his uncle would return before he knew it.
"You're pretty reliable, aren't you?" Patricia patted his head as if he were a dog, beaming with affection from behind her sleek, ebony hair.
"He certainly doesn't hold back," agreed Madeline, as she stared at the cluttered clothesline that they had just filled to capacity.
