the sound of the men working on the chain gang

At Iroh's stuttered acceptance, Eligos lowered himself to his haunches near Iroh, but careful to stay far enough away not to crowd his workspace. He tilted his head to study the younger male and his work. "I apologize for my timing - I seem to have interrupted your crafting." Or lesson? The mandrill, one of Pyrrhic's Benkos' troup maybe, seemed to have been giving him instructions. He could see how that would be useful, to have a companion with such a wide knowledge of crafting. He'd refused the offer of one of the troupe for his own companion, though, long ago. The relationship with the troupe had always made him wary, and the idea of being led around by a primate made him uncomfortable. No, he would make do with his own paws and fangs. Still, he gave the mandrill a nod of greeting. Benkos' troupe had been allies for too long for him to alienate them now and he wouldn't risk hurting Pyrrhic like that. "What is it that you are making?" That seemed like a safe enough topic to begin with, neutral and it had nothing to do with what actually lay between them.