George complained, "Allen, I know your situation, but you have to understand my difficulties too. I'm not actually doing business with you on my own behalf. I represent my family. If I offer too high a price, there won't be much value in it for the family."
He said nothing, merely watching George in silence. After a while, however, he suddenly asked, "George, do you really have no regrets about rejoining this so-called family of yours?"
George fell silent too. Allen's words reminded him of how his own family had only recently pushed him aside, even though he had brought them considerable wealth before. All right, he had to admit that he did have some regrets now.
But he shook his head again. "That doesn't matter, does it? I have no choice left. No one will hire someone who betrayed his family."
At that point, he picked up where George had left off. "Look at them. What do you think?"
Puzzled, George turned to look at his followers and answered without quite understanding the point. "Them? They look like elite soldiers. Oh, and there's a Knight as well." George greeted Ailand.
Then Allen asked again, "And what do you think of me?"
By then, how could George not understand what Allen meant? He hurriedly waved his hands. "You can't do that, Allen. You have to understand that doing this would make you an enemy of the Hreliff Family. I don't want to drag you down."
He shook his head in firm disagreement and said to George, "George, you overestimate these so-called nobles. As a mage of Dalaran, I'm not as vulnerable here as you think. And I should tell you that I'll be a third-tier mage before long.
"If I apply to become an instructor at the Academy, do you