Attravere looks to Sinmore and nods. "Wait a moment." He'll break off a scrap of bark from a tree then Leap of the Homecoming to his lab, grab a dozen shillings and using the scrap of bark as a connection Leap back and offer Sinmore the coins.
"Buy us a cow? This should be more than enough." he asks, slightly frustrated at his inability to speak English, the time it is taking them to get back and save Iapetus via cow, and his silent doubt that Sinmore will be able to get a good bargain.
Sinmore shrugs, somewhat impressed by the display of magic and then takes the coins. She puts down her sword and keeps it a bit out of sight before running her fingers through her hair and then knocking on the door gently (though it still sounds loud with her massive hand.
"Hello? I'm looking for Louis?" she asks, pronouncing his name with the French pronunciation by habit.
The door opens to reveal a diminutive greybeard in a stained brown tunic. "Wotcher? Yer book went kablooie? Canna help wi' 'at, ye great lummox," he natters.
Sinmore looks at him rather cockeyed. "Uh, hello. Are you Louis? I understand ye have some fine cows? The wee girl Ann was milking one aye?"
Spotting someone and hearing Sinmore mention 'Lewis', he'll try to sneakily cover the fellow in his Parma to hopefully negate the nasty 'you-have-the-gift' tendency. (Assuming it doesn't require touch...)
He figures that big giant of a lady with red hair should be enough of a distraction from unobtrusive medium-height fellow standing alongside looking a bit distracted.
It does require Touch, unfortunately.
"No, there's no Frenchies here. I got a cow, but I ain't providin' no milk for no Normans."
Fie. In that case...
Attravere will try to spont a Rego Mentem to make the fellow amiable. (Eye/Diam/Ind)
To catch the fellow's eye he'll intone "Lewis?" strongly and at the appropriate time in the spell.
(CT 24+die/2 to hit target 10, so... non-botch hopefully)
(Base 4, +1 Eye, +1 Diam... yeah, ok, level 10.)
Lewis' rheumy eyes turn and focus on Attravere. "Who's that then eh? Swarthy lookin' chap, but that's all right, at least ye ain't Norman. Ye want tae come inside fer a drink?"
Sinmore looks back and forth between Lewis and Attravere, realizing he's cast a spell. Sinmore murmurs in latin. "He wants to invite you in for a drink. I keep mispronouncing his name. Have him ask us both in." she bows to Lewis.
"I'm sorry Lewis, any right thinking person can see you're not a bloody frenchie."
Attravere will smile happily at the fellow, gesture to with one hand Sinmore while upturning his other hand and raising eyebrows followed by the, hopefully universal, miming of taking a drink, then points to two travellers and into his place.
"What, eh? Yeah, you an' yer chunky friend both." He opens his door.
Within the tiny one-room cottage is a rickety table with two chairs, a sleeping pallet, a trunk, and a fireplace. He pulls the trunk up to the table and offers it to Sinmore, while he takes a chair and gestures at the other with a glance for Attravere. "Got a little ale here. 'S'fresh, too. Only got two cups though." He'll natter on about the weather and his neighbours.
Sinmore will likely need to wait on the porch so as not to hit her head or wreck anything. So she'll wait there and basically poke her head in to speak.
"Excellent!" she'll say after a generous gulp. "Thank you Lewis."
She'll murmur quietly to Attravere. "He seems in a much better mood. You wanted to buy his cow?"
Attravere nods and take a smell and then a swig of the offered beverage.
"That would be great, yes."he offers.
Attravere wonders if Iapetus is alright. (queue segue to what Iapetus has been up to while the others have been running around trying to acquire Dragon kibble)
Sinmore finishes her drink in what is basically a long sip for her before she puts the cup down. "Lewis...ye have some cows aye? My friend here would pay ye a more than fair price for a cow or steer if ye please. He brought some silver coin for ye and he's in a bit of a hurry so ye'll get a few extra no doubt." she says as she leans in and gives a wink.
He shakes his head. "Love to help ye, ginger, but I got me only the one cow. She's me 'ole livelihood-- I trade 'er milk, an' th' cheese I make from it, fer barley an' onions an' eggs. Coins don't do me nae good, ye cain't eat coins."
(Medieval paradigm-- dairy is usually only consumed by the poor, who are highly unlikely to own more than one cow.)
Sinmore says to Attravere in Latin after smiling at Lewis. "He has but one cow and he needs it. Says the silver will do him naught. Maybe ye can convince him the same way you put him in such a good mood? But ye'll pay him well for this if ye take his cow, aye?"
"Not within my powers. I don't know that it would go over well either, even if I could." Attravere sighs, takes a swig of his beverage and cheers up a bit. "Maybe ask him about the Ann's father? Whether he owns enough chickens that he might sell some to us? This is far more difficult than I imagined."
Sinmore nods and turns to Lewis and speaks in English. "Well, we understand then. What about anything else? Have ye a chicken coop? Maybe some pigs? We will pay ye well, we don't want to leave ye wih no livelihood of course."
She turns back to Attravere and speaks in Latin without changing her pleasant expression. "If it comes to it, I'll take the bloody cow, but you leave a lot of coin for the man."
Attravere's Diameter spell is over.
Lewis' eyes narrow. "Canna see as 'ow me liveli'ood be any o' yer business, ginger," he grumbles. "'Ow's about ye leave an ol' man a wee bit o' 'is own ale, an' git th' 'ell outtar me 'ome?"
Sinmore's recent gains in patience have finally worn out. "Bloody Hell!" she snaps and turns to Attravere. "Hold him, I'll get the damn cow. Leave him the coin." she says in Latin and then heads for the door.