"Ah...I suppose I could." He looked at his feet with a frown and rubbed the back of his neck. He took a deep breath, looked up, and plastered on his own smile, thrusting a hand out toward her. "Eschelus, son of Caemon. Nice to meet you miss..."
She grinned and took his offered hand. "Calliope. Just Calliope."
"Like the muse? Do you sing?"
"Yes. Just like that. And no, I don't."
His smile turned lopsided and he flushed. "You hear that a lot don't you."
"You have no idea....and before you ask, my skill with the lyra is only fair to middling. Unfortunate really."
"Well...if you tend sheep you should at least be handy with the pipes, yes?"
"When sheep fly my friend."
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Calliope returned to the cavern in one of the better moods she'd ever been in. Not only had her new acquaintance
